


Baby Daddy

by leafyxthiefy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Antok is also Keith's uncle, Baby OC - Freeform, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I hope, I should mention that this fic does not include mpreg, I swear, Japanese Shiro (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Keith (Voltron) is fierce dad, Keith has abandonment issues, Lance has occasional spanish lines, Look I have issues I know, M/M, Multi, Ryou and Shiro are really close twins, Shicest?, Shiro (Voltron) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Shiro (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Shiro (Voltron) is a Mess, Shiro (Voltron) is depressed, Shiro and Ryou have occasional Japanese ones, Shiryoith is now a ship i support, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, So yeah, Socially Awkward Keith (Voltron), Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), Surprise Baby, Thace is Keiths uncle, There will be domestic sheith later, They are both a mess okay, This will still be sheith despire the ryou addition, anyway, as well as Shiryoith, author is winging the fuck outta this, but there will be incest, dude they better be, i mean i always supported it but now i am here for it, is Shiro ready?, is keith ready?, keith and shiro now have a child, kolivan is keiths uncle, lance is keiths roommate and best friend, like seriously close, mentions of human experimentation, no mpreg here, science created her, there is NO mpreg, there is however like incest, this is sorta a rewrite but not really?, try to stop me and I'll shank a bitch, whoops my hand slipped
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-04-26 05:20:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 46,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14395170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leafyxthiefy/pseuds/leafyxthiefy
Summary: Keith and Shiro sitting in the tree, K-i-s-s-i-n-g! First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes baby in the baby carriage.Or so the rhyme goes, but what happens when the baby comes first? Two strangers are about to find out.





	1. Felicidades

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Strangers](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4928947) by [leafyxthiefy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/leafyxthiefy/pseuds/leafyxthiefy). 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I've finally made it guys. I have ascended/descended (?) to the Voltron: LD Fandom and well, here I am with a huge thirst for Shiro and Kieth. I can't keep these feels to myself and I just needed to get this out so here goes.  
> This idea I originally had for a different fandom, you can find the story in my other works titled Strangers, but that one is slightly different, same basic concept but not the same story I promise.  
> Anywho, there are no warnings at the moment, other than this was not Beta'ed beta read yes, but not edited, all mistakes are my own.
> 
> And as always, just gonna say real quick, I own nothing in regards to Voltron or any other referenced media.
> 
> Enjoy!~

“I—Sir?” Shiro felt the weight of the world on his shoulders at the same time that he felt it being ripped away from just right him. The onslaught of emotions left him reeling with a dreadful sense of being pushed off of a ledge and plunging into the uncertain depths below; all the while the overbearing weight of… _everything_ was enclosing in on him, placing pressure on him with such a huge amount of force it was _suffocating_.

“Breathe, son.” Shiro heard Iverson say, but he didn’t really comprehend the meaning that came with the words.

Instead Shiro’s mind continued its downward spiral into chaos. _How was this happening? Could it actually be possible?!_

Every thought inside his head was trying to make itself heard while at the same time his brain continued its attempts to shut down.

There was a sigh somewhere, and Shiro couldn’t exactly rule himself off as the origin.

“Takashi.”

The softness that came with his uttered name finally snapped Shiro out of his head and back into his body. Though the look of a deer struck by headlights was still on his face as Shiro looked to his superior officer. “But she—“

“We can run some new tests if you need us to, but that will not change the outcome.” Iverson paused, and Shiro had a sneaking suspicion that Iverson would have apologized had the situation not involved others besides Shiro.

“I don’t think that will be necessary… I just—can I see her, sir?” Even through the numbness, Shiro couldn't deny his curiosity, nor suppress the small sliver of hope in his tone.

Iverson’s features softened in a way that Shiro had never seen; not even when the man had delivered the crushing news of Shiro’s late parents.

Shiro wasn’t sure if he was supposed to find the look he was being given as comforting or meet it with worry. Were it anyone else giving him that sympathetic look _and_ in a completely different scenario, Shiro would take solace in it. But as it stood, Iverson was only making Shiro’s stomach coil in tighter on itself.

“I’ll see what I can do.” Was the gruff response the commanding officer offered. Shiro opened his mouth to protest, but was immediately silenced when Iverson rose a single hand.

“I know this isn’t easy to hear, Takashi,” Iverson sighed, lowering his hand as he leveled Shiro with his single eye.

“But I need you to be patient. As you can imagine such a matter is being handled behind the scenes and by those in higher ranks. They will call you in a day or so Takashi. Think carefully about how you’d like to proceed and when you decide on what you want to do, stand your ground.”

Shiro could hear the unsaid words that lay just beneath the surface of Iverson’s advice. Shiro wasn’t supposed to be told of this quite yet, and Iverson had gone and disregarded whoever’s commands he needed to to have this chat with him. So Shiro was given no choice but to sit back and sort out his feelings on the matter until it became official. He was given a heads up, and yet Shiro couldn’t figure out if knowing was a blessing or a curse. 

“If I may, sir.” Shiro started, raising his head and unsure of just _what_ he should be feeling in the moment.

Iverson nodded, prompting him to ask whatever it was he had in mind.

“The mother, is she here?”

Shiro hadn’t thought Iverson could look any more remorseful and yet he managed to do just that. “I advise you to take the rest of the day off Takashi, sort it out in your head and when the time comes you will meet the girl.”

“But what about—“

“That is all I know, Takashi. There was no mother involved, just the child… Go home, clear your head.”

Shiro nodded numbly, unable to do anything else.

* * *

****Keith sighed as soon as he said goodbye and for the briefest of moments considered if it would make him feel better if he chucked his phone across the room and let it meet the all too solid brick wall. Maybe if a new phone wouldn’t cost him an arm and a leg, Keith would have done it. But as it stood he barely had enough to cover his half of the rent, so adding a new phone to his list of expenses was probably not the smartest thing to do.

“I take it you didn’t get it.” Lance supplied from his spot on the couch, breaking the silence that the phone call left behind.

“Nope.” Keith answered, slumping back into the couch and wishing that it would at least show him some mercy and swallow him up. “Same basic bull, don’t have enough experience.”

“Well they don’t know what they’re missing out on, so fuck them.” Lance huffed and tossed up the stress ball he was playing with. “But you know I can cover this—“

“You already got all the utilities, man. I won’t let you cover the rent too. Besides all you have left are your savings, and you and Allura have been planning this vacation for months.” Keith interjected with a prominent frown. “I have enough to pay the rent this month, and my unemployment check is due in two days; so I’ll be covered for when you're away. But that doesn’t mean a job is gonna to find itself.”

“Didn’t your uncle say he needed some help at the shop, like, yesterday?” Lance mused, catching the ball and tossing it back up again.

“I don’t think he actually needs help.” Keith wrinkled his nose as he typed in his password, “Kolivan found out about the lab work and wasn’t thrilled about it.”

“Dude, the ad was sketchy _a la fregada._ I was actually surprised you went through with it.” Lance countered.

Keith hunched his shoulders, opening up the search engine, “We were strapped for cash and three grand goes a long way.”

Lance made a discontented noise in the back of his throat and Keith sighed, “It lasted us longer than I had initially thought, and that’s what matters. It was either that or put school on hold in order to pay the bare necessities.”

“How’d Kolivan find out anyway, the lab stuff happened like what? Two years ago?” Lance asked instead of continuing to argue–what was done was done after all.

“Eighteen months.” Keith elaborated while scrolling through job ads.

“For whatever reason the lab decided they needed to contact me there instead of here. So they called up the shop, Kolivan was obviously on the clock so he answered as my guardian as if I wasn’t old enough to get the call and they asked if I could go back to the lab this weekend. Next day he corners me in the shop and I had to tell him. _That_ was when he offered me the position at the shop.” Keith frowned as he read the descriptions of the job listings, if they could even be called that.

Everything was either an internship or a leading director position. Neither one of which helped Keith, since internships were free labor and lead director was way out of his league.

Keith was about to click onto the next page when the stress ball Lance had been tossing into the air next to him went off course and bopped Keith on the head.

Not even a millisecond later Lance was the sole target of a menacing glare.

Though Lance held up his mock surrender, his smile spoke of the knowledge that he knew he was safe despite the threatening look Keith sent his way. Instead of apologizing, Lance asked “So, you going?”

Keith glowered for a few more seconds before shrugging. “I don’t see why I should.”

“Uh, maybe because these people might have the key of how humanity was made? Holy shit man, what if you’re the missing link?!” Lance exclaims making Keith roll his eyes.

“I highly doubt that. Which one of us waxes from head to toe biweekly?”

“Dude,” Lance laughed, “Point taken, but not everyone can be blessed with silky smooth skin like you! But in all seriousness, wasn’t the test some kind of like wide network ancestry thing? What if they found something?”

“Like what?” Keith hummed skipping onto the next page on the website. “I just had one of those free clinic check ups last month, nothing out of the ordinary there.”

“That’s not what I meant Keith,” Lance sounded oddly subdued and that caught Keith’s attention enough to stop his skimming of a listing and look at his best friend as Lance pointedly looked to the ceiling. “I mean, there’s a small possibility that they did discover something about you that the clinic didn’t. But the project itself was like building a large family tree and maybe… you know?”

Keith could feel his brow furrowing, just as he could feel his lips forming a thin line. Then came the unmistakable feeling of heat curling in his gut and igniting the feeling of annoyance that was quick to turn to guarded anger.

“ _Don’t_ .” It was a warning, and Keith could see that Lance _knew_ this was dangerous territory, but his musing was there, clearly written in Lance’s eyes.

“Keith.” Lance tried, but Keith was already pushing off of the couch and towards the kitchen, as if placing distance between himself and Lance would make the unbidden thoughts leave his mind.

“Leave it alone, Lance.” Hope for what Lance was suggesting was poisonous, Keith had learned that early on in life when he still believed his mother would return to him and his father. But as time went on and he lost his dad too, Keith locked away the hope and left it to sit and collect dust and hopefully rot away in the back of his heart.

“But there might be a chance,” Lance pressed, no longer on the couch either and instead on the other side of the island that separated the living room from the kitchen. “Ke–”

“ _Stop it_!” Keith cut him off, unable to have the conversation, one that he thought was long dead and gone. The subject of his mother was never one he liked to talk about and Lance knew this.

In all of the years that they had known each other, they had spoken about her all but thrice. Once when Lance inquired about his life. The second when Keith finally came clean about his abandonment and the issues that he dealt with because of that. And the third, during a drunk feels fest where he may have broken down and asked Lance why that had happened. But beyond that, the mother that Keith had had at some point never seemed to exist.

So why was he bringing her up now? Keith didn’t know, and he didn’t _want_ to think about it, he didn’t even want to _entertain_ the idea that his mother even existed. She had left him, she _chose_ to leave Keith behind. If the scientists wanted to give him an update on her, then they could keep that discovery and shove it up their asses. If they thought that Keith wanted to know about any other family other than Thace, Kolivan, Antok, and Lance, then they were wrong.

Whatever it was that Lance saw in Keith’s expression was enough to make Lance’s retort die in his throat and turn his expression into one of regret, eyes falling to the floor. “At least think about going because they might have found something else? What if they _did_ find something the clinic couldn‘t detect, just _think_ about it, okay?”

Keith hadn’t even realized that his jaw was locked until that moment, his whole body was tense, poised to either fight or run, Keith wasn’t really sure what he was going to fight exactly, Lance maybe? Or maybe just start throwing punches at the glassware until he lost that anger. Or maybe he was just going to bolt right out of their apartment and run as fast as he could until he was sure that the matter was as far away from him as possible.

He doesn’t do either of those things though, instead Keith forces the tension to leave his body and lets his breaths even out. Running would solve nothing and hitting anything–even Lance–would prove nothing and just make Keith feel guilty once his senses came back to him.

But Lance is still looking at him expectantly, and for the sake of ending their standoff, Keith nodded. “I’ll think about it.” his voice felt rough, raw and unused even to his own ears and he inwardly flinched at it.

But it was enough for Lance who relaxes his shoulders and nods along with him. “That’s all I ask _bello._ And, I’m sorry for pushing it… I just,” he shrugs, “I was a little too excited for you, but if you need me to stay and go with you just say the words, alright?”

Keith wanted to give Lance a smile, even a small one for the gesture, albeit a little misguided and forceful; but that was Lance, quick to act and slow to think things through at times. But Keith couldn’t manage the smile and instead nodded. “If I need you I’ll call you.”

Lance’s smile was a shadow of his usual one, but there was still warmth in it as he leaned over the kitchen island. “I’m going to hold you to that, and I will be personally offended if you don’t call me to tell me that they’ve discovered a cool new superhuman race and traced it back to you.” 

Keith’s eyes swept upwards to that, though a small hint of a smile finally appeared on his lips. 

* * *

Shiro didn’t know what to expect when his phone rang, his screen read _Private ID_ as the caller. He would have thought the Garrison’s name would appear at the very least, but he picked it up anyway.

He had not been prepared for the cordial words, nor the meeting that was scheduled to clear things up.

Shiro had spent the last three days trying to process what Iverson had told him, and try as he might, he just couldn’t wrap his mind around it.

“Takashi?” Shiro nearly jumped out of his seat, startled to see his brother by his side.

“Sorry.” Shiro immediately apologized and Ryou shook his head. “You haven’t been yourself lately _aniki_ , wanna talk about it?”

Shiro worried at his lip and glanced at his phone as if it would come alive at any moment and take a bite out of him. “That was Quintessence Labs. They want me to come in later today to, well–talk.”

Ryou nursed his cup of coffee, no doubt waiting for it to cool down considerably before he could drink it. “It’s about damn time they called you.” he mumbled and sighed.

“But this is a good sign isn’t it?” Ryou ventured, “They’re asking you to go in and you finally get to see her and–have you decided on a name yet, _aniki?”_

Shiro shook his head, “I have a few but I don’t want to jump to any without seeing her first… Ryou” his brother hummed in acknowledgement as he finally drank his cold coffee. “Could you come with me, please?”

“Of course I will.” Ryou's smile was enough to calm the worst of Shiro’s nerves and he couldn’t thank his twin enough for that.

“Thank you, _niichan_.”

* * *

Keith shifted his weight from one foot to the other as the elevator seemed to take its sweet ass time to get from ground zero to the thirtieth floor where he was instructed to meet a Doctor Ulaz for whatever it was they wanted him for.

Five floors to go, and Keith was not feeling any better about his decision to actually show up at Quintessence Labs again. Some part of him even wished that he had gotten up the nerve to ask Lance to stay behind and accompany him. But Keith knew that he couldn’t do that to Lance, not when he flew out the night before for his and Allura’s two year anniversary vacation.

The thought of asking one of his uncles to come along with Keith had also crossed his mind before being dismissed. Keith hadn’t wanted to bother any of his uncles with this, and Kolivan was still sullen over the fact that Keith had hidden this fact for him for so long. So Keith braced himself to face whatever it was as he always did, by himself.

As he thought this though, his phone buzzed in his pocket with an incoming message.

_Animo Bello, you got this. ♥_

Another buzz. _Allura sends her love, call us when you’re back home. And make sure to heat up your food!_

Keith was warmed by the texts, but the little smile they conjured up died on his lips when the automated bell rang and the elevator stopped; effectively causing Keith’s stomach to plunge all the way down to the level five basement.

He swallowed thickly as the door slid open and beckoned Keith to leave the relative safety of the elevator.

“Mr. Kogane?”

Keith winced, trying to disguise a full on startle as he looked at the man that had seemingly materialized out of thin air. Recovering from the fright, Keith narrowed his eyes on the man before him.

There was nothing scary about him now that Keith was getting a closer look, he was pretty average looking for a doctor; his height was greater than Keith’s easily by a foot, his dark hair was cut short and the faintest hint of a frohawk crowned his head. He was slim in build and all sharp angles in the face which did no kindness to his appearance. Keith wouldn't call him unattractive, but the hollowness to his cheeks was definitely not appealing.

Realizing that the man was looking on to Keith for confirmation, Keith hurried to nod. “Yeah.”

“Ah good you got our message.” the man said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. “My name is Haxus, I am one of Dr. Ulaz’s assistants. He asked me to come by and show you to his office. If you could follow me.”

With no other choice but to follow after the lanky man, Keith trailed after him. Vaguely aware of the elevator door closing behind him and taking away his one chance to turn tail and run. Keith was there and there was no going back now.

Keith hadn’t planned on listening to whatever it was that Haxus was saying, but a single term caused him to give this man his complete and utterly undivided attention. “We deeply _regret_ having to contact you out of the blue like this, Mr. Kogane.” the man had said after thanking Keith for taking the time to answer their summons. Immediately Keith’s walls went up, his posture getting tense as he waited for the rest of that sentence to hit him.

But such a revelation never came, at least not from Haxus himself. He didn’t offer any explanation and it was on the tip of Keith’s tongue to ask _why_ exactly it was regrettable that he was receiving news from them. Before he could have the chance to ask, however, Keith was shown to an unmarked door, where Haxus knocked a few times and was allowed entrance.

“Mr. Kogane has arrived.” Haxus announced and stepped aside, letting Keith get a good look at the inside of the office and survey the people that were already inside.

The office was simple, minimalistic in terms of material and clutter, there was one window adjacent to the door, allowing a small bit of sunlight to illuminate the office. Opposite of the window was a wall to wall bookcase filled to the edge with books Keith could see were more than just of the medical genre. A potted plant sat proudly by the door, as did another by the window where it soaked up the sun. And right across the door was a desk where a man sat behind it, or rather stood as soon as Keith stepped in. The three chairs placed in front of the desk were not spaced out evenly and Keith itched to ask one of the two occupants of the other chairs if they wouldn’t mind letting him fix that. Keith wouldn’t necessarily call himself OCD, but there were certain things that calmed him at times, and having some items in order and aligned was one activity that helped him relax some.

“Thank you, Haxus. Mr. Kogane, thank you for coming.” the deep voice that the man–Dr. Ulaz, Keith realized after a second–used was meant to be warm or at least inviting. But Keith could feel neither emotion, not even in the smile he was give as Ulaz breached the space between himself and Keith to hold his hand out in greeting.

Keith narrowed his eyes for a moment, trying and failing to place the man to the previous time that he had to visit the labs. Keith couldn’t remember any of their faces, save for the head of the project: the lady with the platinum silver hair, though her name was nowhere to be found in his memory.

“Uh, yeah.” Keith took the hand and shook it, not at all missing the strong grip that the other possessed. Like Haxus before him, Ulaz was even more far off from the image of a doctor or scientist. In fact if Keith had seen him out on the street, he would have pegged Ulaz to be more of a motorcycle enthusiast and probably own his own repair shop like his uncle. Keith also noticed that Ulaz held himself in a similar way to Kolivan. They both exuded a commanding air though Ulaz’s effect was lessened considerably by the large unmanicured grayed eyebrows and the low cut mohawk that ran the length of his head. There were probably a mess of tattoo’s under his sleeves as well, if the small peek of ink Keith had seen from earlier was any indication, he was even willing to bet that Ulaz had full on tattoo sleeves.

“I know this must be a little disconcerting, but if you would allow me a few moments of your time, I will let you know why you have been asked here today.” Ulaz snapped Keith out of his observations and released his hand before motioning to the empty chair that stood off to the side of the other two occupied ones.

Keith made to move over to the seat when his eyes caught those of the other two attendants in the room. The first thing that Keith noticed was that they were practically the same person, _identical twins_ , his brain supplied helpfully. Though one of them was clearly more into body building than the other, he also had a skunk tail of all things adorning his head–not that Keith had any room to judge because of his mullet, as Lance was so fond of reminding Keith. Other than that and the scar skunk tail had running across his nose, Keith was seeing double. He was sure he made a face of confusion because it was returned to him two-fold by the twins, though before he could ask what was going on, Ulaz cleared his throat.

“I apologize for delaying this for so long, Mr. Shirogane, but as the matter also involves Mr. Kogane, we had to give him some time to arrive.” Ulaz began as Keith too took his seat.

“Of course.” one of the two spoke up, and call Keith crazy but there was a tense note to the voice of the speaker, Keith momentarily wondered if it was just his imagination conjuring it up, but a sideways glance proved him right. The twin with the white streak was noticeably more tense than his brother.

Keith was sure that Dr. Ulaz could see that as well, even though he didn’t comment on it.

Ulaz took a deep breath and leaned forward on his desk to lace his fingers together as he regarded the two parties. “There is no easy way to say this gentlemen, but it is not something that we can keep to ourselves as it directly involves you both.” the man took a breath, letting them take in what he had disclosed so far.

“Involves?” Keith echoed at the same time that one of the twins spoke up, “Both of them?”

Ulaz gave a curt nod. “It came to our attention that one of our members was taking a liberty that was never meant to be part of our project. Quintessence Labs was, as we have stated publicly, working on making a genetic library for future generations to be able to trace their ancestors as far back as possible. And in order to achieve those results, samples were needed.

“Mr. Kogane, your sample was volunteered when you signed up to a program of ours a little over eighteen months ago, and Mr. Shirogane your sample was–I’m sorry to say acquired without your consent. We are still tracing down this particular involvement in the investigation, but the heart of the matter is that one of our scientists was performing an unauthorized practice and as a direct result,” Ulaz took a moment to flick his gaze between the twins and then those dark eyes were on Keith, most likely checking in to make make sure they were paying attention.

Keith was. How could he not when what this man was saying made so little sense and yet it managed to set Keith on edge in a way that made his skin crawl unpleasantly. He was barely aware of the shallowness of his breaths and how hard he was gripping the armrests of the chair that he was seated in. Was this about the woman that abandoned him? Keith spared a glance over to the people seated to his left and for the briefest of moments, his mind wandered down a dangerous path.

Was he about to be told that he was the twins brother or something? Was this some weird revelation to Keith that he was not alone, and any moment now cameras from one of those ridiculous mystery shows would be shoved in his face and expect a warm and fuzzy _family_ reunion?

“Mr. Kogane, do you need a moment?”

“I–no, no just…” _Get on with it._

Ulaz seemed to get what Keith wasn’t directly saying, and nodded. “As a direct result, artificial life was created. And children were made. One of those children, Mr, Shirogane, Mr. Kogane; has _both_ your genetic make up, making her your biological child. 

Keith could see Ulaz’s lips moving, he could hear the words being spoken, but the comprehension that came with those words was nowhere to be found. The distinct sound of something creaking resounded within the room. However, Keith gave no signs of having heard it and instead tightened his grip on the protesting armrests even after his knuckles were white with the strain and his muscles were left shaking with the pressure.

Ulaz’s mouth moved again, forming words and releasing them, but Keith couldn’t hear over the roar of his blood rushing through his veins and the accelerated thumping of his heart. This couldn’t be real? And yet, he _knew_ that look on his face, it was the same look that Thace had given him when his uncle assured Keith that his time in the foster care system was over, and that he was there. Ulaz was telling the truth, but how was it possible?

Keith swallowed harshly and before he could stop himself and gather his thoughts on the matter, he was asking. “Can I see her, please?”

* * *

 

AN: I'm sorry but for some reason, my notes of the first chapter end up at the end of **every** chapter and that bugs me T^T/

And there you have it, first installment, to be fucking honest with you, this was written in like 2 days XD, I have more plans for this, and hope to actually finish this unlike my abandoned Strangers series.

As you can see Lance is bilingual, his translations are in case you need them:  
a la fregada = to hell/to fuck  
Bello = Beautiful, because Lance reminding Keith that he is a beautiful person is important  
Animo = this one is like "keep your head up"

So after being educated on the fact that Shiro did in fact have a brother in an earlier version of the show, there's a name change and Ryou is Shiro's brother now, yay. But yeah, both Shiro and Ryou call each other "Big Brother" Shiro was born first, but he likes calling Ryou niichan instead of ototou. And I think this pretty much covers this chapter?


	2. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh snap, so here we go, installment two because I am on a roll.
> 
> A thing to note though, there are mentions of depression and I'm not sure if I should categorize mentioned human experimentation as a trigger, but just in case that makes you uncomfortable, well this fic has mentions of it. I'm not sure if it will play a huge role, but yeah, be warned.
> 
> Enjoy!~

Shiro hadn't really known what to expect when the third person arrived. His first thought was to assume that the other–this Kogane person–was part of the researchers that brought this revelation to light. Thus, he was there to explain the situation to Shiro along with Dr. Ulaz.

The only reason Shiro didn't question his arrival was because he was supposed to be in the dark about the whole ordeal. It had already been hard enough to explain why Ryou was there with him–Shiro had to tell Ulaz that he was under a new medication that prohibited from driving, so his only form of transportation was his brother. Ulaz hadn't looked fooled, but he had left the matter alone and Shiro hadn't cared too much to see if his lie stuck.

What Shiro hadn't been expecting though was the new curve ball that was thrown in his direction. How was this matter concerning  _both_ him and Kogane? Shiro's "contribution" had been explained to him by Iverson, but how did that fit in with the guy seated not even three feet away from him?

Without fully realizing it, Shiro was holding Ryou's hand tighter in his own as his eyes  _really_  took in Kogane. He was young, if Shiro had to guess he would peg him for twenty-two, twenty-three at most, and from the small glimpses Shiro had had of him, Shiro could tell that he was attractive. But when he had first stepped into the room Shiro hadn't dwelled on any of those details, he had been more concerned about that fact that he was about to be told he was a father, and then ask to see his child. But now, with the discovery that this other guy's DNA had also been stolen… how was he also involved with Shiro's child? Was he a man as he portrayed? Did his kid not have a mother because Kogane identified as a male?

Or was Shiro just speculating too much and Kogane was actually the father of another child involved in the experimentation? Just how long had the project been running that they had managed to create not just one child, but a second one? How many more children were there?

Shiro's musings were interrupted though when Ulaz said something that completely derailed him.

"As a direct result, artificial life was created. And children were made. One of those children, Mr, Shirogane, Mr. Kogane; has  _both_  your genetic make up, making her your biological child."

Shiro's head snapped back in Ulaz's direction so fast that he heard his neck crack in protest, a small flare of pain following quickly after before it was washed away by an array of emotions.

" _What?"_ Shiro hissed as his sluggish mind tried to make sense of what was being discussed. Shiro was no stranger to the advances of technology, his right arm was a testament to that. But to create artificial life? How was that even possible? And… his eyes turned to Ryou, who was equally as stunned, though there was no emotion on his face. Ryou was a blank slate and Shiro was sure that his own face was displaying all sorts of emotions.

But before he could properly process any of them, the other  _other_ father spoke up, repeating the request Shiro had made to Iverson but was unable to have granted.

"Of course, Haxus is bringing her up now." Dr. Ulaz nodded and turned to Shiro, "At the moment I cannot reveal any of the names that were involved in the misguided act. But, I can assure you that the process has been stopped and there will be no continuation of this… project. Those who were still on premises have been apprehended and questioned. There were three children total, and luckily there were no more being… developed. The other children are being rehomed with their biological families, but our biggest concern was with your child; Mr. Shirogane, Mr. Kogane–" a knock at the door interrupted him and Ulaz sighed through his nose.

"Come in."

Shiro turned to see the door open and Haxus returned with a small body curled up against his chest. Shiro's neck protested the angle he held it in as he took in the sight of the other doctor and the bundle in his arms, but he ignored it, trying to catch a glimpse of the child he now had. A pink blanket decorated with simple lavender colored flowers was hiding most of his daughter, though, and blocking him from getting a good look at her. But as Shiro continued to look for a face to place to his new family member, he couldn't help but feel his heart stutter in his chest. There was an uneasy feeling washing over him and threatening to pull him under until he was unable to feel anything at all.

Shiro didn't move automatically, he was too paralyzed from the realization that he wasn't feeling… what exactly? Shiro wasn't sure  _what_  he was supposed to be feeling at that moment. The problem was that Shiro wasn't feeling  _anything_  in that moment. Shiro had  _wanted_  to see her, that was still true, but… now that he was there, now that  _she_  was there, he just  _couldn't_  move.

Shiro's throat constricted painfully as he watched–motionless–Kogane reach for her. Shiro hadn't even seen him move. One second the man had been sitting off to Shiro's right, and the next he was magically teleported across the room and extending his arms towards Haxus.

* * *

Keith hadn't been listening to whatever else Dr. Ulaz was explaining, all he had needed to hear was the confirmation that he would get to see  _her_ … Keith had to swallow. Was he truly a dad now? Keith's emotions were still all over the place and he really couldn't say that he was  _happy_  per se. But he also wasn't infuriated by the news. Keith was a little surprised that he hadn't defaulted into anger at the situation, maybe once the numbness wore off he would be mad, but not at the kid.

Keith could honestly say that he had never seriously thought about being a father. With the mess of a family that he had, he wasn't sure what he would be able to do the whole father thing out of lack of experience and the fact that he had such huge walls up around his heart. Not to mention that the entire concept of a family was lost on Keith. While it was true that Keith now had an uncle and the entirety of the Rivera family that came with Lance, that didn't really make up for all the years that Keith had lived without a family of his own.

He had seen many families throughout his years in the foster care system, but Keith didn't want to be like them at all. He refused to be like Michael's father who was mean and self-destructive and went on alcohol fueled rages every other night. Nor did Keith want to be like Joana's father who was overzealous in religion while also being controlling and overbearing.

And it wasn't like Keith could draw any inspiration from his old man. From what little Keith  _could_ remember, he had been okay but he wasn't there now, and there wasn't enough in Keith's opinion.

So no, Keith had never given serious thought to whether he would be a good father to someone one day. When the subject had been brought up a couple of times amongst his friends, Keith had only shrugged said he wasn't the father type and moved on. The only person he had given even the slightest amount of thought with had been with Lance when Keith had confessed he would be terrible at it. And when Lance had pressed him, Keith had told him that it was alot to consider, and that he didn't want to be someone's disappointment the way his family had been to him. So that had been the end of that.

All of the reservations that Keith had held at some point in his life to becoming a father were discarded the moment the door opened again and Haxus returned with a tiny bundle in his arms. Keith vaguely registered shoving the chair out of his way and closing the gap between himself and the murmuring child.

"May I?" The words were past Keith's lips without so much of a thought as he held his arms out expectantly. Now, Keith had absolutely  _no_  practice in holding a baby, but he had once seen Lance's cousin Ana Luisa hold her newborn in a cradle position so that was a start.

Haxus looked at Keith's outstretched arms for a moment, but he didn't ask Keith how much experience he had with children, and instead handed over the squirming child.

Haxus' hands lingered for a moment longer than Keith would have normally appreciated, but as it was Keith was too caught up in the warmth that overtook him suddenly. The sensation began somewhere deep and long forgotten inside of him, filling Keith up in a matter of seconds as he looked into eyes of the little girl swaddled in his arms.

Her eyes were like his. Keith noticed with a start, unsure of why he thought they would be any other color. True, they weren't  _exactly_  the same shade as his own, where Keith's eyes were a deep violet, hers were more like looking up at a starry night. The color was stuck in a perpetual transition between sunset violet and the beginnings of a starry night, right before night took over the sky. And to add onto the illusion, there were a few specs of gray caught within the iris, contrasting with the violet flare that rimmed the pupil.

Her hair too, was similar to Keith's. It was as dark as it came and though thicker than his, there was no mistaking the slight curling wave that it had, just like his own. The more Keith took her in, the more similarities he could pick out between her and himself; and then, she broke into a smile, an odd squealing sound coming from her as she then began to babble something animatedly.

The soft blanket that was draped around her and over Keith's arms was apparently loose enough that she was able to sneak her arms out and before Keith knew it, small pudgy hands were gently grabbing at his face. Keith was amazed at just how  _small_  the hands were, and the warmth underneath the too soft skin, it was a texture that Keith had never felt before–and Lance moisturized religiously.

The corners of Keith's lips quirked up without his consent, though he couldn't find it in himself to care too much, if at all.

"Hey there cutie." Keith cooed–unknowing until that moment that he was, in fact, capable of cooing–and the baby smiled even wider. It wasn't until her hands pulled away from him and returned to her with the telltale shine of tears that Keith noticed he was crying.

Keith's mind was unable to grasp  _why_  exactly he was being filled with such an overwhelming amount of emotions, it just didn't make sense. He should be distressed,  _angry_  at the very least! But how could he when the little girl,  _his_  little girl was smiling up to him like that.

Keith's hold on her tightened slightly, he was curling his body in a protective manner over her before he even knew what he was doing. Keith was operating on the unquestionable instinct to protect her, while remaining ever mindful of his strength.

"Excuse me?" A tender voice shattered Keith's momentary peace and slammed him back into reality, where he quickly realized that he was surrounded by other people.

The owner of the voice didn't let him dwell too long on the subject, however, because he followed up his interruption with, "May I hold her too?"

Keith's initial thought was to deny this man the privilege to hold his child before his brain oh so helpfully reminded Keith that the little girl was also fathered—somehow—by the man asking to hold her. Keith fixed his eyes on the stranger before him, craning his neck in order to  _really_  see who he would be entrusting his baby to.

Keith was aware that Shirogane was as much her father as he was, just as he was sure that Dr. Ulaz had explained some of the details while Keith lost himself in his own mind. But honestly, Keith hadn't cared about the  _how's_ in that moment, he had been more concerned over the burning question of:  _what happens now?_

But that was still to be discussed, Keith guessed.

At that moment Keith had a choice to make, and the guy in front of him was waiting for an answer. Keith had to blink his eyes for a few moments to force the tears out of his vision and let him get a better look at Shirogane. Keith surveyed him silently, the smile that Keith had gained while holding the child dissolved and thinned out into a hard line as he took in the other dad. His shoulders were broader than Keith had first thought, and not only that; the man wasn't just broad, he was  _huge_  in terms of body mass. Shirogane was built with muscles Greek gods would be jealous of, and on top of that he was even heavenly gifted in height, easily towering a head and a half over Keith.

But even from that angle, Keith was able to discern a single feature that made up his mind. Right above the healed pink scar that ran across the bridge of Shirogane's nose, there was a pair of pale eyes looking back at him.

Gray eyes. Keith's mind supplied.

And it was because of those eyes and nothing else, that Keith was able to entrust his daughter to him. Father or not, Keith didn't know him and that bit of information set him on edge. But with a nod of compliance, Keith relinquished his little bundle of joy into the awaiting arms of her other father.

So, Sirogane was the reason that she didn't have violet eyes like his.

* * *

Shiro wasn't sure what to expect when he looked at the man who was holding his daughter as if she was the most precious thing in the world. Shiro  _knew_  that he had to be feeling that same elation that lit up Kogane's face, but… Shiro was coming up completely empty.

Shiro was still seated in his chair as Kogane whispered to his child.

 _I should be there too._  Shiro thought to himself dimly. And yet, he remained frozen and glued to the chair under him.  _What is wrong with me?_  Why was Shiro feeling nothing but a growing sense of detachment?

Shiro  _should_  be over the moon with unquestionable joy. He should be right there, along with this other stranger and taking some sort of  _exhilaration_  from seeing someone who was as much his kin as Ryou was. Shiro had a daughter, and she was real—Shiro had had his doubts, but there was no denying it now, she was as much his as she was Kogane's. So why was he not making a move to get to her too?

" _Aniki_?" A firm hand at his shoulder pulled Shiro out of his spiraling thoughts and back to the present where he blinked at a very concerned Ryou.

"I'm fine." Shiro stated in a hurry, trying his best at a smile and failing by the look of the frown that was given for his efforts.

"Go see her," was all his brother said in return and Shiro nodded, somehow managing to make himself peel away from the chair and take a stand.

His movements were slow and lethargic to Shiro, but eventually he was standing beside the other man who held his daughter in such a tender and loving way that Shiro was actually considering a swift retreat. Shiro had to see this meeting through though, otherwise he would be nothing but a coward.

That startling revelation was enough to shock Shiro back to his senses. He blinked slowly as the all-encompassing fog in his mind began to ebb away. What would his dad say if he saw Shiro so unwilling to approach his own child? And his mother, would she be disappointed in him? Shiro could feel a rush of emotions now, though he was unsure of which one he had to focus on.

In the end, shame was the most prominent, his parents would be nothing but thrilled of the prospect of having a grandchild. And Shiro knew that he should be feeling that same emotion, hell even a tiny sliver of it, but happiness and joy were not in his current array of emotions. No matter how much Shiro wished that he was feeling  _some_  sort of mirth, he just… it wasn't there and that scared the hell out of Shiro. His emotions were running rampant in his heavily pounding heart as he was unable to figure out why he was filled with such an insane amount of trepidation.

 _At least now I'm feeling something_. Shiro thought apathetically and pressed his lips together before trying to get the other man's attention.

"Excuse me?" Shiro instantly regretted speaking when Kogane spun to look at Shiro with such a fierce and intent look in his eyes that spoke volumes of it's warning despite the tears that welled in them.

 _I will protect her_. They threatened to whatever unlucky soul who looked into them, and Shiro didn't dare think Kogane wouldn't act on the promise.

Shiro would have taken a step back too, that is if he was able to move his legs in that moment. But as he had long ago learned, life wasn't always so merciful. Besides Shiro had gotten this far, he didn't want to give in just yet. It didn't matter what fucked up feelings were plaguing him in that moment, Shiro told himself it didn't change the fact that he  _did_  want to hold his daughter. And, some part of him hoped, that perhaps holding her would finally make that last switch in his mind click and that  _wrongness_  that was settling inside his heart would be gone.

"May I hold her too?"

Shiro could  _feel_ just as he could see Kogane size him up, and for a moment Shiro was terrified that his simple request would once again be denied. He was starting to think that Kogane could see Shiro's lack of happiness over the situation and keep him from holding his daughter.

But after a torturously long pause, Kogane eased the little girl into his arms.

Tears gathered in Shiro's gaze as well as he looked down at the baby in his arms. She was perfect, his mind supplied as Shiro took her in. Her eyes weren't like his, or a nearly black like Ryou's. Instead, they were the early beginnings of the night sky with a mixture of violets and a blue so dark it was almost black. His daughter was a beautiful, with soft curls any Disney princess would be jealous of and skin so fair Shiro could see some of the tiny veins underneath. And yet, the sight of her didn't move him with any semblance of pride, much less warm him the way he thought he should be once seeing her.

The smile she had had while she was being held by Kogane began to disappear the moment Shiro's fallen tears were soaked up by the blanket. It only took a matter of seconds after that for the baby's lips to begin quivering and twisting unhappily before she opened her mouth to cry and Shiro's heart shrunk in on itself.

Had Shiro been paying attention to the rest of his surroundings, he would have noticed Kogane's hands twitch at his sides when she began to cry. But Shiro was was too focused on the fact that his own child recognized what he himself was denying to accept. The unconditional love that was supposed to bloom in his chest and pour into his very soul was missing.

Shiro was more floored now than never before, and the feeling of shame and guilt came at him with a renewed vengeance until he was unable to feel anything beyond those two emotions.

His daughter continued to cry in his arms, her small hands forming little fists while her legs kicked out in her discontent as if she was trying to get away.  _She probably is_. Shiro thought in dismay and with a heavy heart returned her to Kogane's hands with a strained smile. "Looks like you win as the favorite dad."

There was concern in the man's eyes, but Shiro didn't look to far into it and instead watched as his daughter began to calm down the moment she was away from him.

It hurt Shiro in a way that he never thought he  _could_  hurt. Shiro had known many injuries in his short term at life, but none of those experiences could ever compare to the rejection he felt at that moment.

* * *

Keith had wanted nothing more than to take his daughter back the second that she started to cry out in the other's arms. And he probably would have if he didn't know that he was also her dad. She just needed to adjust to the new hands, he told himself, maybe the prosthetic was a little cold and that had startled her.

Even though it pained him to see his kid in obvious discontent, Keith knew that he shouldn't make a huge fuss over it, both parents were important. When he was given their child back though, Keith was surprised. However, the words along with the smile he was offered ignited the one emotion he hadn't thought would be presenting itself: anger.

Keith rocked the girl in his arms as his eyes burned into Shirogane's eyes. "There are  _no_ favorites."

Keith had kept his voice low for the sake of the baby in his arms, but there was no less ice in it as he briskly walked away from Shirogane and sat back in the chair he had occupied not even minutes ago.

"So, now what?" Keith wasted no time in asking the one question that had been in his mind since Dr. Ulaz had started the meeting.

Dr. Ulaz looked from Keith to Shirogane behind them and sighed. "What happens next, of course, depends on you both, Mr. Kogane, Mr. Shirogane. As I was saying before, out of the three children  _created_  by the indiscretion of one of our faculty members, your child was of special concern. She isn't ill or underdeveloped in any way, let me assure you. But, she is the only child who was made through samples of two males as opposed to the others."

Keith heard more than saw when Shirogane reclaimed his seat, it was hard for him to mask the heavy way he sat down in a room filled with silence in between Ulaz's pauses.

"The department was reluctant to let her go, as you can imagine." Ulaz continued and Keith held his daughter even more securely, his eyes narrowing dangerously on the doctor. Keith wasn't above making a run for it, yes the door would be tricky to get through and Haxus was tall and broad, but Keith had taken down guys bigger than him half intoxicated. The building was high, but he was sure he could clear three flights of stairs easily, the next twenty-seven would be a challenge, but Keith would be damned if he didn't at least try.

"However, because the project was understandably discontinued, and as a code of moral ethics, you both were contacted. What happens next depends on you, Mr. Kogane, Mr. Shirogane." Ulaz made sure to meet Keith's gaze, and presumably Shirogane's.

"There are two choices available to you. The first being the obvious: the child is registered as if she was brought to this world as any other children is, and adoption papers will be arranged. That being said, the second option will of course be foster care–"

"Why would that even be an option?" Keith was unable to hold himself back from interrupting any longer, "Don't say that like if she was some sort of kitten we just found on the street and were  _maybe_  deciding on bringing her home or not. She's a kid, a baby–" Keith cuts off as he looks down when he feels a small warm hand curling around his finger and his throat threatens to close again.

"She's my daughter, of course she's coming home. So start the paperwork already." Keith managed to say with a steadier voice than he should have, considering how emotional he was being at the moment. But quite frankly, he couldn't have it in himself to care, he just wanted to get his daughter away from the people who saw her as nothing more than a successful project, and home where he could start to figure out his next step.

Whether Dr. Ulaz was bothered by being interrupted by Keith or not, he didn't show it. Instead he nodded. "Very well, I will have the adoption papers drawn up for you, Mr. Kogane."

There was a pause and Keith began to feel the irritation again as the doctor pointedly looked away from Keith and to the man seated to his left, "And you, Mr. Shirogane, will you also want custody of the child?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty! So I finally have a name for our little girl here ^^ expect that revelation and Shiro's answer in the next chapter.
> 
> Also I forgot to mention... I know Lance's fanon hc for a last name is "McClain" but?? why are we giving a known Cuban/Hispanic character a Scottish origin based surname? It just doesn't compute imo so yeah, Rivera family not McClain.
> 
> Ya'll wanna donate a comment to the starving Author's foundation? With a few words a chapter you can keep an author motivated to keep writing fanfics~
> 
> Till next time!~


	3. Decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I just cant keep my hands away from the keyboard lol.
> 
> Enjoy!~

Shiro managed to stop his flinch in time when he was singled out by Ulaz, but still he was not as prepared as Kogane was when it came to the decision that was presented before him.

"I understand that it is a lot to take in, Mr. Shirogane, but we cannot delay matters. A decision must be made." Ulaz stressed after a few beats of silence and Shiro's guilt burned even more at his soul. He knew that he should be feeling the same burning conviction as Kogane, she was his  _daughter_ for crying out loud! Shiro couldn't let her slip away just because he was having trouble sorting out his feelings.

"Yes, of course, I'm sorry. I think I'm still… I'm sorry, I would like to be part of her life as well." Shiro's words sounded weak even to his own ears; and it was only his brother's silent presence next to Shiro that kept him from completely losing himself to the building sense of shame.

Ulaz said nothing to Shiro's apologies and instead nodded in what appeared to be quiet understanding. "I will go get the paperwork for you to review, please excuse me."

The doctor stood and Shiro slumped in his seat, listening to the man shuffle out of the office and close the door behind him.

"Tashi, are you sure you're alright?" Ryou sounded worried, and really Shiro couldn't blame him. Shiro was acting completely out of character, he was wired with tense energy and drained all at once and the overwhelming urge to just… wallow in his misery was  _so_  appealing to him at the moment.

"I honestly don't know,  _niichan."_  Shiro whispered in return, "But I know what I want to do… I just need some more time to process all of this."

His brother didn't look at all convinced, and though Shiro tried to give him a reassuring smile, Ryou continued to look troubled. But his brother soon relented and squeezed Shiro's shoulder in reassurance, "Of course,  _aniki."_

"I'm sorry, excuse me." Ryou looked past Shiro and to the man who was so engrossed with the little girl he seemed to not even notice they were seated in the same room. "Would you mind if I held my niece for a few minutes?"

Kogane was less startled this time, though Shiro noticed that he was still reluctant to give up his hold on her that easily. The same scrutiny that Shiro had been subjected to was passed onto his brother next, but it didn't last as long as Shiro's own visual interrogation. Or so he thought, time perception wasn't exactly on friendly terms with Shiro at the moment.

"Sure." Kogane finally murmured and untangled his finger from the small girl's grasp while he stood and walked over to where Ryou and Shiro were seated.

Shiro could feel the excited energy that was rolling off of his twin as he happily opened his arms, waiting as patiently as he could before he could meet his niece. And Shiro couldn't help the annoying pang of jealousy that speared his heart. Because Ryou was the exact image of what Shiro  _should_  have looked like when he went to hold his daughter for the first time. But instead he had been left floundering and unable to enjoy a second of it.

" _Aniki_!" Ryou wrenched Shiro's earlier flinch out of him with his exited call.

"She looks just like you, you know if you were this small and still had all your baby fat." Ryou chuckled softly and looked up to Kogane, "I mean, she looks like you too man, and I–oh damn. I think we should have introduced ourselves by now huh? Sorry about that, between the news and all that names were the last thing on our minds. My name's Ryou and my more attractive half over here is Takashi."

Shiro was too enraptured in the fact that his daughter was easily falling asleep in Ryou's arms to listen to everything that his brother was saying. And the more he watched them both, the more the inkling of jealousy aimed at his twin ate at him until it shook him down to the very core. She prefered Ryou over him. Shiro would be lying if he said that he wasn't hurt by that revelation, but for the sake of his brother, he tore his eyes away from his arms and smiled briefly to the man he had just been introduced to.

"Please, call me Shiro."

Kogane's look was puzzled but he nodded all the same. "Yeah, okay sure. I'm Keith, no nickname… and um thanks?" the gratitude was aimed at Ryou and for a second both twins looked lost, before Koga–Keith–elaborated.

"For saying she looks like me?" he offered, and Ryou broke out in a smile.

"No thanks needed Keith, I was just stating the obvious, it's kinda weird though, that she looks like a perfect blend of you both, but I mean  _some_  babies do that right?"

"I guess so?" Keith offered with a shrug and looked to where the door was behind them.

Ryou left the matter at that and went back to looking at the baby in his arms, but Shiro was left with looking at  _anything_  but his child. Unfortunately that move was met by a very prominent frown from Keith.

Shiro swallowed harshly and looked away, though those intense eyes continued to burn into the side of his face until he was compelled to look in his direction again. Part of Shiro wasn't surprised at all to find those eyes still trained in his direction.

"You need to choose if you want her in your life." there was no other way to describe Keith's words other than a low growl.

"I'm sorry, wha–" Shiro didn't even get to finish his question before he was cut off.

"I don't know what you're feeling Shiro, and I can't speak for you. But the sooner you sort it out the better. If your heart isn't into raising her, and you decide to go on your own marry way and leave her behind, I rather you do it now. Cuz if you do that  _after_  you sign the papers, I will personally hunt you down and bring you back." Keith was threatening Shiro, and there was no doubt in his mind that it was as much a warning as it was a promise. Keith looked small and pretty scrawny, but in that moment, Shiro didn't dare to think that Keith wouldn't make good on that vow.

"Woah, slow down there." Ryou interjected before Shiro could even open his mouth but Keith's heated glare remained on Shiro.

"Shiro's just in shock okay, family is very important to us, and of course we're going to be here for her." Ryou added on wanting to diffuse the situation that was before him.

"That's not what that hesitation said." Keith quipped back, and then to Shiro he added, "You're either in or you're out, there is no in between."

* * *

Keith didn't care if he was being fair to Shiro or not. As far as Keith was concerned, Shiro's feelings were the least of his worries. His daughter was his priority now, and Keith would be damned if he let his daughter fall down the same dark hole he did when he could personally see to it that it didn't happen.

Shiro didn't have to stay if he didn't want to and though Keith knew all too well that kids needed both parents in their lives, he also knew that having an uncommitted parent was nothing but an inconvenience in the end. If Keith had to, he would raise her on his own as a single but  _present_  parent. Keith wouldn't run away from her, nor would he neglect himself to the point of incurable illness like his parents. Keith would be there for her, no matter what it took.

And it was with that resolution in mind that Keith gave Shiro an ultimatum, and there was no going back once he agreed to raise her. Keith could see the uncertainty in his gray eyes as Shiro weighed his options, but just as he opened his mouth to meet Keith's challenge so did the door across the room Ulaz strode back inside.

"I apologize for the wait, someone didn't replace the toner after they used the machine so I had to wait for it to be replaced. But since I was already there, I took the liberty of making copies of the reports. These of course lack all classified information." Ulaz rounded to his side of the desk and Keith took his seat again. He had decided that he needed both his hands for the next step in the process, even though he was already missing the warmth in his arms.

"In these documents you can find the date of your child's birth; blood type, weight, and overall progress. Additional to that you can review the immunization records and paternity tests at your leisure. The latter of course is to remain confidential… that being said, I need you both to understand that while all of us here are aware of her legitimate parents—unless custody is renounced before the deadline specified on the documents in your hands. O _n paper_ it will state otherwise. The papers you are about to sign will say something entirely different for one of you. To everyone not aware of the ongoings here, oneof you will be the adoptive parent while the other will be assigned as the biological father."

Keith's eyes narrowed at the news being presented to them as annoyance began to make itself known. "That's  _not_  what you said earlier, you said that we would both be signing this as a  _joint_  adoption."

Ulaz held up a single hand and it took everything Keith had in him not to growl back in response. "I know what I said, Mr. Kogane. But I need you to listen to me now, as I tell you that our next step will have one of you named as the adoptive parent, while the other will sign as the biological parent. And before I am interrupted again." Ulaz looked pointedly at Keith who only glared back at him.

"I apologize for not being straightforward with you before, but it was a necessary evil since I wanted to make sure that you were both willing to be the adoptive parent on paper. And now that I have that answer we can proceed onto the next step. As you both are aware, this is a very delicate situation. In the unlikely, but possible, event that your daughter is in need of a blood transfusion, or medical lab work, or  _someone_  questions why she happens to look like the adoptive parents; there needs to be a link back towards parentage."

Ulaz paused to let that sink in, and though Keith didn't appreciate being misled, he had to admit–albeit begrudgingly–that the doctor had a point.

"So then how is that position decided?" Keith was surprised that Shiro asked the question before he had the chance to.

"I mentioned blood transfusion for a reason, Mr. Shirogane." Ulaz sounded tired by that point, though no less in command of the conversation. Nevertheless, Ulaz continued to explain to the three men. "The reason behind that is because the child shares her blood type with only one of you."

Keith furrowed his brow as he looked over the report he had been given in order to search out the section containing that particular source of information.

_O Negative._

Keith was AB positive, which basically meant that he could receive blood from  _any_ donor _._ But he could not give it to someone who was O negative, much less be the father to someone of that blood type. Keith could already feel the edges of his mouth pulling down into a scowl as two realizations settled in his mind. Though instead of voicing his displeasure of not being the on paper dad, he settled on stating his other concern, "This shouldn't be possible."

"No, it shouldn't." Dr. Ulaz agreed.

"All scientific laws state that a parent with AB blood will pass down that same gene down to their children in either A, B, or AB. Thus, in order for a child to have type O, both parents are required to have O blood type. But your child was not created through… excuse my terminology,  _natural_  means. So it isn't  _entirely_ surprising that she managed to defy many of the laws we know, and as such she bypassed the blood rule. Though I must assure you," Ulaz's features softened some as he looked at Keith.

"Although she does not share your blood type, she was created not only using your chromosomes but also your quintessence, her genetic makeup will always speak of her ties to you as her parent. Regrettably, I am not in the liberty of releasing the full report to you, but what you have in your hands does give you enough information to relieve any doubt about her being your child." As Ulaz explained this, Keith continued to read the sheets provided to him, until sure enough he reached the page where his name was.

 _Keith Kogane, 24, Male… first donor towards the creation of Subject #017…_  Keith felt his stomach drop. Just how many children had these people tried to make?And how many more would they have attempted at if they hadn't been discovered? Had there been more children made with his DNA?

"Why are you doing this?" Keith was unable to hold himself back from blurting out, his hands tightening on the report in his hands and ensuring the pages would never be flat again.

"I am informing you of—"

"Not that!" Keith's anger had finally pushed to the surface, " _This! Her!"_ Keith gestured to the papers and then to the sleeping child in Ryou's arms.

"You've stressed the secrecy of this so called project so many times. You're telling us the  _bare_  minimum here and while I don't doubt that she is my daughter, I just—it doesn't make sense! As illegal and  _wrong_  as this all is, you didn't  _have_  to tell us jack shit. So then why? Is all of this part of the experiment too? Add the parents into the mix and spend the next ten years studying them before you take her away?"

Keith was off his chair and hands on the desk before he even knew what he was doing, the report suffering further in his grasp. "Cuz if that's what your plan is, you better rethink it now." Keith was full on threatening the doctor before him, and the man before him hadn't so much as flinched under Keith's gaze.

* * *

The fierceness that suddenly overtook Keith was a surprise to Shiro. Even though he had been subjected to the same fiery scowl and narrowed eyes earlier, this was something completely different. The display both warmed and scared Shiro, not because he feared Keith, far beyond that actually. Shiro respected Keith for being quick to catch something that Shiro hadn't even considered. But his reaction made Shiro even more repulsed with himself, because he should be as equally suspicious and just as protective of the little girl in Ryou's arms. He should care more about the situation brewing around him. But he just couldn't muster up the same protective streak Keith was displaying.

If anyone had threatened to take Ryou away from him in the way Keith was insinuating they would do with his daughter, Shiro would be furious and just as protective of his younger brother. So then why was he not doing anything? Why was Shiro so indifferent to what was happening around him?!

"Mr. Kogane." Ulaz's impeccably calm voice seized Shiro's attention and turned him in his direction as well.

" _Keith,_  call me Keith; no more of that Mr. Kogane bullshit!" Keith raged on, "Actually, cut every single line of bullshit from your speech and just spare us all your fancy words. You said that she was  _one_  of  _three_  successfully made children at this facility, and the  _only_  one to have been made from two dudes. I've seen enough sci-fi movies with my idiot of a roommate to know that she is someone you scientists would gladly dissect. So then  _why_  are you bringing us into this?"

If Shiro hadn't been stunned before, he definitely was now. Though what Keith was saying may have—under a different circumstance—sounded farfetched and impossible, the truth in his words was hard to deny. Shiro had just been too slow to pick up on it, but a glance in Ryou's direction told him that his brother had the same questions in mind. All three of them had a reason to be suspicious of the approach the lab was taking.  _Why_  were they choosing to involve Shiro and Keith, what did they have to gain from that move exactly?

"Because there are boundaries which should never be crossed." Ulaz stated simply, and only then did Shiro see the doctors shoulders sag in defeat.

"I know it sounds like a manufactured lie. But what we are discussing is the truth, there is no hidden agenda. The department head of Quintessence Lab's Bioengineering unit was mad, she began to conduct experiments on people a few years ago. Fortunately, they were volunteers; but that was the first few candidates, and then it escalated onto children. She managed to pass off her sample collecting to other projects, such as the one you signed up for Keith; but you know what they say: the truth always manages to come to light.

"As a direct result, the bioengineering unit is being shut down while the Garrison probes further into the matter. Haxus and I, along with another handful of staff are the only remaining members of the department after their sweep. We were questioned and cleared on the worst of the offences, but that doesn't mean we get to keep our job, rather a lesser sentence. But after that, the other staff members and I spoke with the Garrison and we mutually agreed that it was in each child's best interest to be united with their families. There is no ulterior motive, believe me. If there was, we'd be asking for regular checkups and making you sign contracts instead of legal custody."

"Fair point." Ryou muttered, though he looked about as pleased about the situation as Keith did, and Shiro could honestly not blame them for their varying degrees of hostility and suspicion.

"And we're just supposed to believe that?" Keith quipped back, relentless.

"I don't expect you to just take my word for it, no." Ulaz bridged his fingers once more. "But I do hope you come to accept it for the truth that it is."

"If this is the truth, then why are you still keeping half this shit classified then?" Keith was relentless in his search and Shiro was left with a sense of admiration for the man.

"Because the less that you know, the better it is for the girl."

"Oh c'mon–"

"I believe him." Shiro said, not really meaning to cut Keith off, but unable to keep his opinion from being voiced.

However, the opinion did him no favors when Keith whirled on him and pinned him down with burning violet eyes.

But before Keith could snap at Shiro next, he added. "You said it yourself, they  _could've_  kept her for all of the reasons you said. Dr. Ulaz didn't need to reach out to us, but he  _did_. Besides…" Shiro worried at his lip and after a second he decided that secrecy was the least of his worries.

"Ulaz was the one to reveal the project to the Garrison. He's also the one who tracked us down, so yeah, I believe him."

His words caught Ulaz's attention, and Shiro merely shrugged. "Word gets out fast amongst the higher ups. And it wasn't like they mentioned you by name but your surprise tells me that I was dead on, right?"

Ulaz didn't nod, but he also didn't deny Shiro's words and instead turned back to Keith who was beginning to even out his breathing and unroll the tension from his shoulders. "The less information you have on the process is better for everyone involved. We hope that what was done here is never repeated, so all extensive reports were destroyed and the files on the experiment corrupted. You are right to have little trust in us, but we have taken every preemptive available to us in order to make sure that this can never happen again."

Keith looked less than convinced, and even Ryou huffed in discontent. But for the moment, it seemed to be enough and Keith finally yielded, returning to his seat.

"Fine. But what I said earlier still stands, she won't be taken from her family not by force and definitely not by choice."

A smile was sent Keith's way. "Of course. So now that we're in agreement. We can go over the documents, give you some time to ponder on the name and reconvene for signing."

Shiro honestly tried to listen to everything being explained to him by Ulaz. The words that the doctor said did make sense, but at the end of the day, Shiro was even more lost than before. And as they shook Ulaz's hands again, Shiro realized that the mutual territory he had found himself on with Keith was about to be shattered, and he had a decision to make.

Right after their parting words, Keith had reclaimed his daughter in his arms and was resting her head on his shoulder when Ulaz caught up to them by the elevator and pressed a sealed envelope into Shiro's hands. "Our funding was decimated three days ago, but we were able to pool together what remained of the budget. And while we know that this fixes nothing, some of the parents on the team hinted that this would be of more use to you than any government project; be it for baby supplies or to kick off a college fund."

Perplexed and completely at a loss for words, all Shiro could do was nod as the elevator chimed softly behind them and the three of them stepped in.

The first few floors on their way down were filled with a tense silence that had Shiro's skin crawling until Keith broke it. "So, do you live far from here?"

"Huh?" Shiro could feel his confusion twisting up his features and that earned him a scowl from the shorter man.

"I live about 40 minutes from here walking distance, I brought my bike but," He shrugged his unoccupied shoulder. "not really prepared with a baby seat."

Probably sensing Shiro's discomfort, Ryou picked up the conversation. "So you live in Daibazaal? That's cool, we have a friend that lives in the city, too.  _Aniki_  and I both live in Arus, so it might be easier if we head back to your place; I mean if it's okay with you, and since we were… you know given a heads up we picked up a car seat on the way."

Keith mulled over the information given to him, his lips forming a thin line before he nodded. "I don't mind."

The elevator chimed again, notifying them that they had reached the basement garage. "So which one's your car?" Keith asked as soon as they stepped out.

"The white sedan over there, I take it that's your bike?" Shiro followed his brother's gaze where a sleek silver and red motorcycle was parked, the body accentuated here and there in ink black. It was a strange feeling, but Shiro had a feeling that if Keith could reinvent himself as machinery, then that bike might as well be him.

Shiro pulled his eyes away from the bike after taking note of the matching helmet and glanced down at Keith who looked over to the bike with a soft fondness to his features. "Hm, yeah. She's an '09 Honda Shadow Phantom, I've been working on her since I was 19, Red there used to be my pride and joy."

" _Used_  to be?" Ryou asked, right before Shiro even got the chance to open his mouth.

"Yeah," Keith hummed softly, and Shiro saw his eyes shift down to the little girl nestled into his neck. "Red'll understand though."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Keith someone please love him look at how soft he's being!~
> 
> Now I know I said that the baby's name will be revealed in this chapter, but then well all this happened lol and to avoid making the chapter too long, well Imma leave that scene for the next installment.
> 
> Also, quick note. Ryou calls Shiro "Tashi" at times, because when he was a kid Ryou couldn't really say Takashi lol, so childhood nickname bitches~
> 
> Is my excitement for this visible yet? Anyone wanna fuel this excitement with a comment or two? Pls come talk to me about this AU T^T/
> 
> Till next time!~


	4. What's in a Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Name choosing, shouldn't be this intense, and yet here we are.

The car ride to Keith's place was… definitely something to say the least. If Keith were to describe it, he would say it was definitively uncomfortable.

Keith hadn't necessarily asked to ride back with the Shirogane twins, but he  _had_  refused to let his baby girl go with them alone. After Ryou had finished admiring Red the three men had stood in awkward silence for about seven minutes before Shiro cleared his throat a little too loudly and asked Keith if he would like to catch a ride with them. Keith suspected that Shiro had felt obligated to ask him to carpool with them, and though that thought would have normally upset him, Keith didn't see much of a choice.

While it was true that Keith would rather not get into a strangers car and be forced to participate in the mandatory small talk such situations called for. He also saw no other choice but to accept the invitation if he didn't want to lose sight of the child in his arms. So in the end it came down to either riding with the Shiroganes or taking public transportation. Needless to say that the lesser of two evils easily won his favor.

"So your bike—I mean Red, are you really okay with leaving her here?" Ryou asked glancing at Keith in the rear view mirror as Keith tried to figure out what all the buckles on the baby seat were for.

Keith didn't answer immediately, not until he finally got the last buckle into its lock and made absolutely sure that it was secure. "I don't like leaving her here, no. But she'll make it home."

Keith could tell that Ryou had another question in his mind just as he was sure Shiro shared in his curiosity. But neither of them asked and Keith didn't elaborate. Instead, he gave them directions to his house. And one of the most torturous car rides of his life began.

Keith had almost wished he had Lance there too, if anyone could break through the tension filled mess that was their drive, it would be him.

Somehow though, Keith managed to make it through the fifteen minutes in one piece. The baby remained asleep, and the twins had relaxed some. Shiro and Ryou had whispered back and forth to one another at times, though Keith had no way of knowing what was being said since he didn't speak Japanese.

One they reached the apartment complex, Keith directed them to where Lance usually parked his car. Normally there would be a blue '65 Mustang proudly claiming the space, but Lance had left Blue—Yes, Keith and Lance were aware of how stupidly simple their names were, but it was what felt right—at Allura's while he was away.

Once parking was done, Keith led the way to yet another uncomfortably awkward elevator ride to the 2nd floor and the 3rd door on the right. Keith fiddled with the keys for a second and finally made it back home. And though Keith could feel the warmth of familiarity inside the apartment, it hadn't weighed on him until that moment that he really  _did_  miss Lance and his 'welcome homes'.

"Make yourselves at home." Keith glanced over his shoulder as he hung his keys on the designated hook and motioned to the empty living room. "You guys want something to drink? Water, tea, I'mma start a pot of coffee…"

"Tea please." Shiro spoke first as he toed out of his shoes and Ryou hummed weighing his options. "I'll wait for a cup of coffee… it isn't decaf is it?"

Keith snorted, though not rudely, "God no, the last thing I need right now is cafineless coffee. But yeah, pick your tea. Lance is a tea junkie, he keeps a regular stock of almost everything."

Shiro moved over to where Keith pointed to Lance's stash as Ryou took the handle of the baby carrier they had mutually agreed to take with them since she was still sleeping soundly, and moved over to the living room.

The only thing preventing another round of silence between the three of them was the coffee maker as it dutifully worked through making the first batch of coffee. Keith said  _first_  because he suspected they would need more than one round despite the fact that it wasn't even noon yet.

After Shiro had gotten his tea, he joined Ryou and Keith in the living room, taking the second seat on the couch and across from Keith, who had taken the spare seat that sat adjacent to the couch.

Normally Keith could deal with the silence and would have preferred it to stretch out as opposed to the other alternative, but this time around it was just picking away at his nerves and causing him to fidget in his seat.

The other two in front of him were not faring any better it seemed, but one of them was at least willing to try to breach the bridge. Unfortunately Ryou was cut off by Keith's phone buzzing in his pocket.

Keith sighed and fished it out, his frown becoming much more noticeable when the name 'Lance' was displayed on his screen, the animated phone underneath his name shaking as if begging Keith to answer.

He was half tempted to decline, but… Keith really needed some normalcy back in his life. Excusing himself, Keith retreated to the Kitchen and answered the phone.

"Aye  _Bello!_ How'd it go?" came the immediate question, not even bothering with a greeting, but that was Lance.

Keith glanced at the kitchen entrance and bit back his sigh. He could tell Lance about his news, or he could put it off for later. Keith didn't really like the repercussions the second option would bring, but he also didn't like the thought of telling Lance something so personal over the phone. Not to mention that Lance was totally the type of person to drop his entire vacation and run back home at the slightest bit of alarming news. Keith wanted Lance to enjoy the vacation that he and Allura deserved.

"It went okay." Keith said carefully, leaning against the counter and breathing in the scent of coffee, relaxing himself slightly.

"Well that's good." Keith appreciated that Lance didn't throw an ' _I told you so'_  his way. But he could feel that there was something Lance was holding back on. Keith had known Lance long enough to know when his best friend wanted to ask a question.

"It wasn't about her, okay." Keith sighed. "And I'm not in any medical danger, I got home in one piece and everything's okay… also." Keith hesitated. He had been mulling over the idea in the car ride home and had decided that he had to make a choice, if not for himself then for his unnamed child.

"I'm gonna take up Kolivan's offer and take the job."

Lance was silent for a single moment, which honestly was an eternity when it came to Lance, but soon the cheer was back in his voice. "Woah, that's cool, and yeah it's a surprise, what made you change your mind?"

Keith shrugged before realizing belatedly that Lance couldn't see him. "I can't be a deadbeat forever, we need the cash and… I'll just do this until I can find another job."

Lance hummed on his end, "Well whatever you decide  _Bello_ , I got your back. And—actually hold that thought." There was a laugh, Lance's, and then Allura's. "Sorry Keith gotta let you go, I'll talk to you later okay, make sure to double check the locks, no talking to strangers and  _por el amor de dios_ , warm up your food tonight."

Keith rolled his eyes. "Bye Lance, go have fun."

"Always do, bye!"

Keith locked his phone again and held in the urge to call his best friend back and throw away any reservations he held about involving Lance while he was away. Maybe Lance wouldn't know what to do, but he could at least be there for Keith to draw support from.

Keith unlocked his phone once more and hit the dial button. He wasn't going to call Lance, not yet; but he was also not ready to face the situation in the other room just yet. Keith was equal parts stalling and trying to get his bearings before facing the other two in his living room.

Two rings was all it took before someone picked up. "Marmora Repair Shop, this is Acxa how can I help you?"

Keith would have preferred that his uncle answered the call but out of the rest of the people employed at the shop, Acxa was the one Keith got along with the most. Even if their relationship was mostly built from an shared an unspoken rule of not prying into each other's lives and staying away from small talk.

And it was because of this that Keith didn't bother with a greeting. "Hey Acxa, is Kolivan around?"

"He stepped out with Thace not too long ago. I'll tell him to give you a call back." Acxa assured Keith and he knew that she now deemed that the end of the conversation.

"Ah wait!" Keith probably said that louder than he had meant to and cleared his throat. "I mean, its okay if he doesn't call me back, I just wanted to ask him if he could pick up Red from Quintessence Labs for me , I can stop by the shop for her later or if he wants to being her home?"

Acxa hummed. "Did she break down? I can ask Antok to bring her in."

Keith appreciated her wanting to help, but he also didn't know how to explain why he had left Red behind. And asking Kolivan to take care of his bike also opened up an opportunity for Keith to tell him about his doctor's visit. But that of course required him to sort a few things before hand, which included he deal with the guests that were waiting for his return. "No it's okay. Red's fine, I just had to leave her there, and I'm home now too so it's not like I'm stranded. Just tell Kolivan for me… and also tell him I'll call him later?"

Acxa didn't sound convinced but she relented. "I'll let him know."

* * *

Shiro tried to look anywhere but at the car seat off to his left where the sleeping child was—his child.

Instead Shiro busied himself with taking in the space that was home to the man that had brought them there. It was a fair enough sized apartment, and much more spacious than he had first thought. The walls were painted a soft sky blue, only broken here and there with framed pictures and other wall decorations. There were two clashing motifs to the decorations, on one side Shiro could see the clear fondness of the ocean, and the other was the sky; more specifically the stars.

Shiro wondered if Keith and his roommate had agreed to arrange the conflicting items until a compromise was met, or if they had coordinated it somehow. Next Shiro's eyes went over the subjects of the picture frames and realized that very few of them featured Keith. There were possibly a handful of them as opposed to other snapshots that depicted a slender man with short brown hair and one of the brightest smiles Shiro had ever seen.

After looking at every picture as best as he could, Shiro focused on the furniture within the room, taking note of how none of it seemed to directly match. He could guess that it was all handed down from either family or friends or from thrift stores the way his had been when he had first moved out. There was a bookshelf made out of maple oak, while the coffee table was less wood and more steel painted in an inky black. The lamp off to his right seemed like something he wouldn't have seen anywhere outside of antique shops, with its wrought iron base and thick lamp shade, complete with a curtain of fringe to serve as a skirt.

Shiro could faintly hear Keith on the other side of the wall that separated the kitchen from the living room. He caught snippets of the conversation towards the end, and a quick look to his twin told him that while Shiro had been surveying his surroundings he had been listening attentively.

Silence followed not long after and Shiro took a sip of his peppermint tea, savoring it for as long as he could. Just the scent of the tea was enough to have Shiro relaxing some in the foreign home, but he was still way out of his depths and nowhere near calm.

Keith reappeared before Shiro had to search for something else to focus on, and the anxiety that had slowly been ebbing away returned with full force. There was a pensive line to Keith's brow and a very prominent frown as he set down two cups of coffee on the table, and some sugar and the creamer before Keith reclaimed his seat before them once again.

"Look if you're just saying you'll commit to this because you feel some sense of obligation then just leave." Keith muttered as he worked on his coffee, only bothering to look up at Shiro when his deep set glare was in place.

Shiro was stunned, and it definitely wasn't because he was so unused to people being mean in his direction. Most people tended to like him, or at the very least respect him on some level to where they were civil to him, but Keith… he was outright glaring at Shiro as if Shiro had personally seen to it that Keith had the worst existence possible.

"Excuse me, what?" Shiro could tell that Ryou was just as unprepared for the sudden sharp turn their conversation had taken by the indignation that slipped into his brother's tone.

Keith sighed in what Shiro could only call frustration. "I didn't invite either of you over to fight, okay. But I also meant what I told you back in the office. You don't  _have_  to stay with her, so if you're trying to convince yourself into thinking that you  _want_  to be part of her life because you feel some sort of obligation, then just don't."

"You say you didn't bring us here to fight, but isn't that just what's going on?" Ryou countered before Shiro could even get a word in edgewise. "And what makes you think Shiro doesn't want to be involved in her life anyway?"

Keith's glare didn't let up, switching between both twins before finally settling on Shiro. "Because he didn't even  _try."_

Shiro shrunk away from the heated glare, and the words that he knew all too well were as true as they could be. He hadn't tried, not really. And he still felt no need to even interact with the girl that was his daughter.

As brilliant as Ryou was though. He was still failing to grasp the words being said around him. "Didn't try what? You do realize you're making no sense right?"

Keith didn't let up on his stare. "She's gonna know, you know. That you wont try to hold her, to look at her. Kids aren't as empty headed as people think, and I bet babies aren't either. She's gonna need people there to take care of her because they  _want_  to not because they  _have_ to. If you're only doing this to ease your conscious or whatever it is you have going on, then you're gonna regret it. And soon she will pick up on that, and—" Keith finally looked away, yet Shiro could hear the unspoken words.

_She'll know you aren't doing it out of love._

"That's not fair, how do you presume to know what my brother is going through!" Ryou was angry for Shiro. He had always been the easier one to anger out of the two, and the first one to be upset  _for_  Shiro.

"Because he isn't denying it." Keith's reply was simple. But it was no less true.

"Has it occurred to you that he's still in shock?" Ryou rebuffed.

"And you think I'm not still reeling from this?" Keith scoffed in return. "And even if he was, he could at  _least_  show her some sort of compassion. She's your daughter and  _you_  need to decide if  _you're_  in or out."

Keith's hard glare was back on Shiro, demanding an answer from him. "I want to be involved."

"Are you sure." though the phrase was a question, Shiro couldn't help but feel the underlying hint of something else within the words.

This time Shiro didn't hesitate. He was sure he wanted to be a father to the little girl, even though his stomach dropped at just the idea of it. "Yes. I want to be her father."

Keith's scowl didn't let up for ages it seemed until he finally relented and sat back in his seat.

"Fine. But remember what we said, there is no walking out." he said, finally breaking his silence. But before either Shirogane could say anything to that, Keith spoke again, "She needs a name."

Somehow, Shiro wasn't expecting that to be Keith's follow up statement. He had been preparing himself to be thoroughly grilled by Keith about what he would do for the baby. But instead he was blindsided by something he too should have been considering but was too screwed up to think too much on.

But at least Keith's eyes weren't burning holes into Shiro's soul anymore.

Ryou seemed to approve of the change in the subject as well, as he rejoined the conversation and spoke for Shiro once again. "Agreed, got any in mind?"

Keith shrugged, momentarily glancing to where she was sleeping. "Not really, but it also doesn't feel right just calling her 'the baby' so I though we should start there."

Ryou nodded, and then rounded to Shiro. "Any ideas,  _Aniki_?"

Shiro shifted his gaze over to the sleeping child and shrugged as well. "No. Any of the names I considered before don't really fit her."

Ryou hummed, but whatever he was about to say was cut off by a gruff. "How long?"

Both twins looked to Keith, Ryou's look of confusion matching that of Shiro's. "Excuse me?"

"It's not the first time you've mentioned being in the know about her existence, so how long have you known?" And just like that the tension was back in the room, doubling in intensity if that was even possible.

"I-" Shiro should have known that question would be asked eventually, but again he was finding himself out of his depths. Shiro wasn't usually this lost with words, and people rarely looked at him with such open scrutiny, but this entire situation had his head reeling and taking his composure along with it until he finally managed. "Three days."

The answer was, of course, not met with approval. "Three  _days_?! You mean to tell me that you knew about her for three days and didn't even-"

"Woah hey slow down!" Ryou once again came to Shiro's defense, keeping his voice low too as to not wake up the sleeping girl. "Yes, Shiro knew  _about_  her. But it wasn't like he was told anything else. For the past three days that he has known he has done nothing but think about her. He hasn't slept well at all and has spent the majority of those three days wondering  _if_  he would even get to see her. If you think this was something he had just brushed off the minute he found out, think again. Knowing for him was probably worse than having to find out the day of. So would you kindly  _lay off?"_

* * *

Keith was honestly taken aback by Ryou's words and was promptly ashamed at having jumped down Shiro's throat. It wasn't like Keith was angry at Shiro–entirely–he just happened to be the target Keith was dumping his frustration towards.

"Sorry." Keith sighed and eased up on his glare to look down to the pale coffee in his hands, honestly it was more sugar and creamer than coffee, but it was coffee all the same. "You're right I shouldn't have snapped at you, I'm just…" Keith trailed off and shrugged uselessly.

Keith hadn't expected either twin to accept his apology, much less for it to be Shiro "Don't worry about it. I probably would have been upset too if you had more information on this than I did."

And though he said that, Keith couldn't help but think that he wouldn't be that mad at Keith. But then again, what did Keith know about this stranger? Until just a few hours ago Takashi Shirogane was no one to Keith, and now he was the other half of his daughter's life.

"What names did you have in mind?" Keith asked, heading back to what seemed like the more stable topic for them to discuss.

Shiro rose and dropped his shoulders in a helpless shrug. "None that I like now, Emma, Marie, Ayame, Hanami was our mother's name, but… I don't want to make the decision of naming her after our mom."

Keith thought he caught on to what Shiro was implying. And if Keith was right in his presumption, then that meant that Shiro wasn't comfortable with naming the baby after his mom if Keith didn't agree to it. Which, Keith supposed was a nice gesture.

Still, he scrunched up his nose at the list. "I knew an Emma once, she used to lick the glue off of stamps and chew pencils down to the lead, so that's a hard pass. But on the others, I don't know they don't seem to fit her, and naming her after a mom is kind of cliché don't you think?"

Keith had spoken without really thinking too much on the weight of his words and didn't seem to realize that until Shiro gave a light wince and Ryou frowned.

Keith knew when he stepped into the territory of a sore subject and promptly backed out, taking another sip of his sugary coffee to stall for another few seconds of time. Keith was granted five more seconds before he decided to set off another land mine.

"I want you to let me be the one to name her." As soon as his guests registered the meaning to his words, unsurprisingly, Ryou was the first to rise to challenge Keith's claim.

"You can't just ask that! She's just as much Shiro's daughter as she is yours. This should be a mutual decision between you two."

"Yeah, and the surname should have been too." Keith shot back setting the coffee down and crossing his arms in order to make his glare more effective.

"She's getting your family name and Shiro is going to be named as her legal father so I think it's only fair if I get to name her." after a second, Keith added, "Hanami can be her middle name, if that's okay with you."

Ryou, Keith could tell was biting his tongue. But Keith's focus went back to Shiro, who was ultimately the one Keith had to sway in his favor. "I want to be able to give her that at least, a name that we both agree on, but that I pick out."

Shiro looked even more tired than he had before, which Keith honestly thought was an incredible feat in of itself. "He's right Ryou." he finally said as he too sat his cup down on the coffee table that sat between the two parties. "Keith wasn't given a choice on her getting our last name. Middle or first name, mom would have been happy with either one."

There was another pang of guilt on Keith's end, though he was quick to shove it down. Keith chided himself, reminding himself that he had been the one to ask about getting that right in the first place.

"Thank you." Keith murmured and glanced at the sleeping girl, remembering her eyes that were his and yet not.

"I never thought I would have a family of my own." Keith surprised himself with saying that out loud. But it was a thought that he thought was worth pursuing in that moment. "So I never had a plan for any favorite names and junk. But, her eyes reminded me of the night sky, which remind me of stars… so I figure that's a good place to start."

Ryou looked intrigued, and for the first time that Keith had seen, Shiro looked interested in the conversation. "So what? Are you thinking like Sky, Star, Venus, or something?"

"What? No!" Keith scrunched up his nose in distaste, "Nothing that obvious and obnoxious, but when I was ten I got really into stars and galaxies, and one of the names that has stuck with me is Andromeda, we can even call her Andy for short."

"Andromeda Shirogane." Shiro echoed it out as Keith tested the same name mentally. And then, Shiro whispered much more quietly "Andy."

Keith rather liked his choice and though he would be upset if Shiro turned it down, he had already agreed that they would both need to be okay with his choice.

" _Aniki?_ " Ryou was the one to press.

"Mom would have liked it." Shiro said with an indiscernible smile.

And Keith had to frown, because that  _wasn't_ a  _yes._ "But do  _you_  like it?"

"I do, I just thought that… nevermind, yes. Yes I do Keith, the name is perfect." Ryou seemed to know what Shiro was thinking and laid a hand on his twin's shoulder and murmuring something that made Shiro nod.

Keith looked away from them long enough to see Andy smiling in her sleep and in that moment he knew that he had made the right decision.

"So have you bought anything else for her?" Keith asked bringing both pairs of eyes back to him again.

"I have a spare room we started to turn into a nursery. The crib is assembled, we have a good amount of diapers, bottles, formula, bath supplies, and other things." Shiro listed off, much to Keith's growing displeasure. He didn't like the idea of letting Andy leave his and Lance's apartment with the Shirogane twins, especially with Shiro acting so… strange. Keith knew that he didn't  _know_  Shiro, but no dad that acted this distant with their kid was getting any points in Keith's book.

"So you're planning on taking her home?"

Shiro looked honestly surprised with the question and Ryou looked mildly annoyed, and Keith dared to think that the more vocal of the twins was beginning to tire of Keith.

"I… that was the plan originally, yes. But…" Shiro shrugged and Ryou looked ready to protest, but Shiro quieted him with a whispered word.

"I have a feeling you'll fight me tooth and nail for her to stay with you." Shiro chuckled, a sound that sounded hollow even to Keith, though he wasn't about to argue with that assumption.

"I have to clear my head anyway." Shiro reasoned without too much conviction in his voice and set his now empty cup on the table before him. "Would you mind if I dropped off a few things for her? I can be back with them in about an hour or so."

Keith wasn't sure if he had to ask Shiro–and by extension, Ryou–to stay in his house longer out of courtesy, but he didn't know what else needed to be asked that couldn't be put off later. Maybe a conversation between Keith and Shiro, not Shiro, Keith,  _and_ Ryou.

"Sure, just buzz apartment B-4 and I'll open the door."

The twins left not long after that and Keith couldn't help but feel a rushing sense of relief as he went back to where his daughter was still sleeping soundly. "You and me, Andy. If anything you can always count on me."


	5. Conviction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I almost forgot!!!
> 
> I got some amazing and I mean truly incredible art for this fic ^^ please check out @Niky-Art on Tumblr.  
> [Sheith Family Portrait](https://sheith-my-heart.tumblr.com/post/174828367151/niky-art-commission-i-made-for-the-lovely)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually finished!!! 
> 
> Again, rough start to the week, AND OMFG SEASON 6!!! [though no spoilers no worries, I just... have a lot of feelings about it as I'm sure alot of you do]  
> Anywho, I played around with the idea of posting a new chapter because bitch! It's father's day in the US, and c'mon let's celebrate these two new dads.
> 
> As always, I own nothing in regards to vld, only the typos I failed to catch. Enjoy!~

"Are you sure you're okay with this, Tashi?"

Shiro gave his brother a noncommittal shrug as they stepped out of the elevator and made their way toward Ryou's parked car. "I have to be, and Keith seems like a nice guy."

"Nice? I'm sorry was I the only one present every time he tried to rip you a new one?" Ryou couldn't keep the incredulous tone out of his voice even if he tried. Though Shiro could hardly blame him.

"I meant for Andy." Shiro clarified. "He's good with her."

Ryou snorted, "I guess I'll give him that… but still, wouldn't you feel better if Andy was staying with you for the first night?"

Shiro didn't answer right away, stalling for time while his brother eased out of the parking space and back onto the road. "Honestly?" Shiro's voice was low and hesitant.

"It would be appreciated."

He had to give it to Ryou, Shiro had earned the dry response he got back. "Fair enough…"

"Takashi." Shiro winced. For all of the affectionate names that his brother held for him, Shiro's given name was hardly ever used unless the younger of the two was being particularly stern. "I know as well as you do that I can't possibly understand what you must be feeling right now. But you've been acting strange all day. The last three days are understandable, so I left you and your funk alone. But I thought that seeing Andromeda would have helped… and to be honest with you, it's having quite the opposite effect." Ryou paused just as the car came to a standstill in traffic.

"Takashi, I need to know if you're okay with all of this. Before you sign anything, before you  _do_ anything. Talk to me. And I mean  _really_  talk to me, or do you want me to read your mind again?"

"You know, no matter what you say, twin telepathy isn't a thing." Shiro rolled his eyes fondly, "I may have believed it was when we were ten, but c'mon that was when we both believed that Santa and the tooth fairy were real."

"Excuse you, Santa is indeed real and lives in the deepest regions of the arctic." Ryou all but scoffed, "But in all seriousness and Santa aside,  _Aniki,_ please. The last thing I want to do is press you on this matter, but it isn't like you have a lot of time, the signing of the legal paperwork will be in less than 48 hours. And whatever happens at the signing isn't something that you can just undo later. I hate to say it, but that Keith guy is right… we— _you_ have to do what is best for Andy. And I know you're just going to tell me you're  _fine,_ but Takashi, please. The more you keep saying that you're okay, the more I'm starting to believe it's a lie."

Shiro kept his eyes on the road, unwilling to look at his brother just yet, and thanked the gods when the other cars began to move to a slow crawl. Ryou meant well, Shiro knew this. His brother was just trying to understand what was going on in Shiro's head, the only problem was that not even  _Shiro_  knew what was wrong with him.

"I'm fine." the words tumbled out of Shiro's lips before he could stop them.

Ryou sighed and Shiro hunched his shoulders into himself. "I'm sorry Ryou. But the truth is… I really don't know what's making me hesitate. I've always wanted a family, that's never been a secret but I never thought that it would be happening like this. And that… I don't know how to feel about all of this Ryou. And the uncertainty, it's—" Shiro glanced at Ryou who had laid a hand on his arm. Only then Shiro realize that he was gripping his flesh arm with a little too much pressure.

As soon as Shiro released his death grip on his arm, Ryou retrieved his hand and placed it back on the wheel. "It's?" he prompted.

Shiro shrugged and belatedly realized that the road was his brother's main focus at the moment. "I don't know." Shiro whispered. "That's just it Ryou,  _I don't know_. I know that I should be happy, that I should be drowning in paternal love and feeling like the luckiest person alive, but… I can't—I  _don't_  feel that? I'm…"

Ryou hummed after it was made abundantly clear that Shiro didn't know how to end that train of thought. The silence between them swelled again and Shiro began press down on his knuckles and fingers of his left hand until they cracked and released the built up tension. Unfortunately, Shiro only had one hand that he could crack the knuckles and joints to, and once that was done he was left with nothing but idle and restless hands.

"Tashi." Ryou's soft call brought Shiro back to the car and pulled him out of his head, where he tended to retreat to every now and then when he was feeling at odds with himself.

"Remember when you came back from Kerberos?" Ryou's voice was barely above a whisper, but Shiro found himself flinching away as if his brother had vehemently yelled at him. "After the mission, you weren't yourself Takashi. The Garrison cleared you, but…" his twin sighed. "You were a mess. The things you saw over there were not pleasant, and losing a limb; your dominant hand. Along with everything else that happened while you were away. It was understandable that you fell into depression."

"I'm not depressed." Shiro shot back, though there was no conviction in his voice. "I have no reason to be."

Ryou didn't comment on Shiro's tone, and for that he was grateful. "It isn't about reason, Tashi, and we both know it. Back then it was an accumulation of things, and it was easy to see  _why_  you had fallen into depression. No one comes back from that unscathed. But that same lethargy you showed back then, it's resurfacing Tashi. So you can understand why I'm worried for you."

"You said it yourself, Ryou, I was damaged back then, I wasn't myself. But I'm better now,  _I_  am." Shiro vaguely wondered who he was trying to convince. "I just, I need to work through this. I  _want_  to work through this. I want to be in her life Ryou, I know this."

And though Shiro said his piece with as much certainty as he could muster, Shiro's heart wasn't really in his tone. Shiro knew that Ryou's fond theory of 'twin telepathy' was just a joke his twin liked to play up, but there really was some truth to it. Perhaps that was a twin 'power' that they shared like so many people claimed twins possessed; or maybe it was just one of Ryou's many talents. That part Shiro wasn't so sure about, but he did know that Ryou was better at reading him than Shiro himself was.

So that was how Shiro knew that he was not making a very convincing argument to his brother's claims and putting even more speculation to his decision of signing the papers for Andy's adoption. Maybe Shiro was falling into the hands of depression again, he wasn't sure, not in the way that Ryou seemed to be. But what he said was true. He didn't want to regret this the way he regretted a large part of his life. Andy was part of him, she was family and Shiro would not let another family member slip away from him, not when he could be there for her. And if Shiro was depressed as Ryou thought he was, then Shiro would battle his demons again, for her and for himself.

"I'll schedule an appointment with Dr. Smythe." Shiro relented after the silence had wormed its way between them again. "But I do want to do right by her, Ryou. I want to be there for her any way that I can. Letting her go without even knowing how I actually feel about things, I can't do that. And that's why I will sign the papers, I will be a father to my daughter."

Ryou was silent for a moment as they made a turn to ease out of the highway and onto the familiar streets of Arus. And it wasn't until they pulled up to Shiro's townhouse and the car was safely parked that Ryou reached across the arm rest and took Shiro into a hug, filling the older of the two with much needed warmth. "Good."

* * *

Keith arched a brow as he scrolled lower on the e-book page he was on.

_So, you're a father now, eh? I think some congratulations are in order! Way to go lad, you have just hit a milestone in your life! And now you have a precious little bundle of joy to look forward to for the rest of your life! But as excited as I'm sure you are, I bet you're also asking yourself: "But how do I become the best father that I can be?"_

_Well I'm so glad you asked! Prepare to embark on a journey that you will never forget. I will do my best to give you some helpful tips that will assist you through your new and wonderful life. Now, let us take this from the top! In the first chapter we will cover topics that arise in the first six months of a child's life, from the experience of changing your first of many diapers, tips to getting some well deserved rest, swaddling, and much more. Now go my young Paladin and educate yourself on the wonders of child rearing!_

Leave it to Allura's father to be this eccentric even in writing. And the fact that Keith could, honest to god, hear the text read out in Coran's voice was decidedly very strange. Still, the man was a recognized and published author of Psychological Family studies, so Keith was fairly certain that Coran knew what he was talking, or in this case, writing about.

So that was how Keith spent the next hour and a half of his waning morning. And though he felt a little silly for taking out his notebook and scribbling along with his readings, Keith knew that this was something important he couldn't mess up, ever. Andromeda was counting on him, Keith was the one person she could always depend on and he would do his utmost best to raise her as she should be.

Keith was deeply engrossed in writing a list of what he could and couldn't feed a growing 6 month old when a knock at the door made him jump.

He glanced at Andy and when it was clear that she was still sleeping soundly, Keith wrote down the page he was on just in case he happened to lose his place and walked over to the door.

When Keith opened it, he had not been expecting to see his uncle there, with his hand raised and poised to knock on his door yet again. But then again, his uncles did have access to the apartment, unlike Shiro and his brother.

"Kolivan." the release of his name was more due to his surprise than anything else.

The taller man didn't seem to think too much of it, or if he did, he showed no outward sign that would indicate otherwise. "Acxa sent me your message. Your bike is parked in the subterranean garage." Kolivan reported in his usual gruff voice, wasting no time and getting straight to the point.

"And by all of that he means, ' _Hey Keith, I am very worried for you, are you okay_?" Thace supplied from the side, smiling brightly in Keith's direction and slipping past Kolivan to envelop Keith into a hug. Which he returned after a second, it had been years since Keith was taken in by Thace, Kolivan and Antok and though two of them were more open physically it was still odd for Keith to engage in sudden physical contact.

Smiling fondly, Keith released Thace first and pulled back, "I'm alright." he confirmed and when the crease between Kolian's eyebrows refused to smooth out, Keith elaborated. "I'm fine, I promise. But I also have news, and I'm not really sure how to explain this…" Keith trailed off and looked over his shoulder to the living room where Andromeda was sleeping.

Kolivan looked at Keith expectantly and Thace gently elbowed him, "Let him think for a second. But before that Keith, are you going to invite us in or are we doing whatever big revelation you have here in the hallway?"

Keith flushed and quickly stepped aside, "No, sorry I—yeah, come in."

Thace chuckled and Kolivan retained his silence, though it wasn't lost on Keith that he was being more reserved than usual. Then again, Keith could just be imagining that and he was wholeheartedly blaming that on his nerves. Though really there was nothing to be nervous about. Keith knew he ran the risk of his uncles not understanding his situation right off of the bat, but he was positive that they would come to love Andy as they did him.

Both of his uncles slipped out of their shoes and again looked to Keith who usually lead them to the living room by that point instead of awkwardly holding them up in the small hallway.

Puffing out a breath, Keith opted to face the obstacle head on and refused to beat around the bush. "I want you to meet someone. But please, I have to ask you that you stay kinda quiet?" his request came out more like a question, and where Thace looked amused, Kolivan was even more quizzical.

"Someone you say?" Thace couldn't keep the smile off of his face if he tried, but it was proving to be contagious. Keith hadn't even realized that he, too, was smiling.

"I mean it though, no loud voices." nervousness was giving away to barely contained excitement as Keith was about to introduce two of his most treasured people to his most recent one.

It was a short walk, five strides from Keith, and no doubt and easy three from his taller and longer-legged uncles, but they were in the living room in no time and Keith was happily presenting his daughter to his two uncles. "Kolivan, Thace I would like you both to meet your grandniece… is that a thing?"

"Grandniece." Kolivan echoed and Thace's smile fell away to a mess of emotions, confusion, astonishment, curiosity, happiness, back to confusion and then wonder and eventually settled on wary as he looked to Keith.

"I don't understand, Keith."

There was a time when Keith would have shied away from the imporing look that Kolivan was regarding him with, and even more so when Thace looked completely lost with the situation. But in that time the only person that Keith needed to protect was himself, and not the small girl in his care.

So Keith stood his ground and nodded, his smile warming as he offered a little more information. "She's my daughter, and because I'm your nephew, that makes her your grandniece."

"This is tied to the lab isn't it?" Kolivan's question was much more than that, but still it was not enough to damper Keith's mood. It was silly, in a sense, that his happiness came from such an unexpected source, but in retrospect, was it really so out of the ordinary? Keith didn't question in and instead motioned to the seating area.

"I'll get the tea ready." That being said he slipped into the kitchen and began to pull out a few more mugs.

This time around, Keith took the closest seat to where his daughter was after he set the tea down for his uncles. Gray Earl for Kolivan and Lemon for Thace.

"Well, does she have a name?" Thace asked after taking the mug from Keith.

"Yes." Keith said carefully, explaining Andy for his uncles was a simple enough feat, however, the involvement of Takashi Shirogane would be a completely different story. When Thace looked onto him with unyielding interest and open curiosity, Keith smiled again. He seemed to be doing that alot in the last hour.

"Her name is Andromeda."

"Andromeda Kogane." Thace repeated with a warm chuckle and Keith's smile almost fell. He had left out the last name for a reason, but of course they would assume that she would be inheriting the same name as his own father. Little did they know that instead of his name, she would carry the surname of a man they had never even met.

"You said you volunteered for a developing genetics map, not donation." Kolivan commented, tone unreadable and straight to the point.

Keith pressed his lips together and his smile finally fell away. "That's where things get complicated." he supplied and pushed his hair back from his face, only for the black mass to return within seconds.

"I volunteered for what I told you, they were looking for everyone and anyone who wanted to help them expand a database for genetic purposes. They said that this ultimately would leave behind a large history of our ancestry and our future as people. Honestly, that was the best summary I ever got, the rest of the terms I didn't really know enough to retain. But… the experiment was something more." Keith grimaced when he paused. It was strange that he would have to repeat the tale so soon, and even more so when he himself didn't understand all of the what's and how's. But he also couldn't lie. His uncles of all people deserved the truth.

"Quintessence Labs was using the genetics research as a front, and behind the scenes they were doing experiments…" Keith glanced over to where Andy was still sleeping.

"What sort of experiments?" Thace prompted after Keith took a little too long to explain.

"Human ones." Keith scrunched up his nose. "The people there decided they wanted to play God and started to combine donated samples of DNA to create people…" Kolivan glowered and Thace's eyes widened, quickly settling on the small girl near Keith.

"But that's…"

"Impossible?" Keith offered for his uncle, and sighed. "I thought so too, but I don't have to look at her to  _know_  that she's mine. It should be impossible I guess. But she's here. The volunteer thing was how I was tracked down, and that was why they called." Keith looked over to Kolivan.

"I went in this morning expecting to be told I had three days left to live or something ridiculous."  _Like mom being found,_  Keith thought to himself. "But instead I was seated before some guy and told that I'm now a dad. I was given the choice to keep her or not." This thought still made Keith's blood go cold and boil at the same time.

He scrunched up his nose again with a snort, "Like hell I was gonna let the same thing happen to her. I would have brought her home and skipped town if they hadn't given her to me."

Thace chuckled, but didn't interrupt Keith as he continued with the summarizing of his morning. "But they did, and now I don't have to worry about hitting up Ezor's shady friend for a new identity. And that's kinda why I had to leave Red behind, thank you for bringing her home by the way."

"We were in that neighborhood when Acxa reached out to us anyway." Thace waved off his thanks and set his coffee down, "And since you're not offering, do you mind?" he gestured to Andy and Keith hummed, confused.

"Do I mind what?"

Thace chuckled, "If I held her, of course."

"Oh, no go ahead, I um… think she'll be asleep for another hour or so. I've been reading Coran's book on raising kids, and he said that four to six month old's need to nap for about three and a half hours a day, twice a day until a sleep night schedule is established and since I don't know how well she sleeps at night…" he shrugged and scooted on the couch to make room for Thace.

The man nearly sprung from his seat and covered the rest of the room in no time, taking Keith's previous seat and made quick work of the straps that were securing Andy to the baby seat. Keith was entranced with the way the large man moved so cautiously and gently as he undid the buckles and gently slipped Andromeda into his arms. She stirred for a moment before continuing her nap, rocked gently within Thace's hold.

"Look at her." his uncle crooned. "Doesn't she look just as Keith did when he was a baby?" he asked Kolivan.

The older of the three made a soft noise in agreement, but Keith hadn't seen his expression to better interpret the sound, he was too busy digesting the offhand comment. While it was true that Ryou had already confirmed that she looked an awful lot like Keith, hearing Thace support the claim warmed something in him. There was a swell of pride blooming within his chest that Keith had never known was possible. Keith hadn't needed further proof to know that Andy was his closest kin, but having the rest of the world, more importantly, his  _family_  recognize that fact, it was something Keith never knew he would treasure.

"What's with that look." Thace asked with clear amusement, doing nothing to hold back his laughter.

"I'm just really happy." Keith admitted, with a bewildered laugh of his own. He felt as light as he ever had, filled with warmth and the strongest sense of love that he had ever known in his short life.

"I know it's a little late for this, but congratulations, Keith. She's beautiful." Thace said softly, though it looked like that wasn't needed since his laugh had stirred Andy from her nap and now she was blinking blearily up at Thace. Though he didn't seem to hold too much interest for her, as she fell asleep again.

"Thank you."

Keith was happy and more than content watching his uncle interact with his daughter, until his bubble of bliss was broken by an almost forgotten Kolivan.

"Keith, while I am happy for you. What are your plans now?"

Keith tore his eyes away from Thace and Andy and to his uncle's unreadable gaze. "I actually wanted to talk to you about that. My search isn't really turning up any leads right now, and I know that now more than ever I need to make a decision… so if the offer is still available. Do you think I could work at the shop?"

Kolivan leveled his eyes on Keith and took that moment to sip his tea, letting the silence stretch on longer than it needed to until Thace sighed. "Come now, Kolivan. Don't stress the kit out, Keith you're  _always_  welcome to work at the shop, and I'm sure that Antok will agree, speaking of have you told him yet?"

"I was planning on telling all three of you when I went to pick up Red, but you guys just showed up." Keith explained, relief flooding through him now that he had a stable job that would be able to pay for the rent and be able to get the essentials for Andy.

Keith's small relief was short lived though as his uncle asked a follow up series of questions. "And when you are unable to watch her? Where will you leave her? Have you spoken at all to Lance about this? I am sure you already know this, Keith, but raising a kid is no easy task. I know you want to be here for her, but I need to ask you. Are you  _ready_ to devote your life to her. Because from this point on, it is her well being first, before yours."

His uncles, Keith knew, were well versed in raising children. Though none of them had had any children of their own, the had taken in others who had needed them. Acxa and Keith were the two that had lived with them and been officially adopted. While Ezor and Zethrid lived with them whenever they needed a place to stay when their homes weren't safe. Keith was the only one related directly to Thace, who happened to be his mother's half brother.

"I know that this is a huge decision for me, and I know that she will always come first. No matter what she will always be put first. But no, I haven't spoken to Lance yet, I'm waiting for him to get back from his vacation, and it's always better to do this face to face than to call him and drop this kind of bomb. As for her care, I was hoping to ask for help on that too, when needed of course. But also… I may not be raising her alone." Keith wasn't sure what can of worms he was opening with admitting to there being a possible second party to Andy's life, but having his uncles find out through different means was not something he would rather deal with.

"There's someone else involved?" Thace asked, beating Kolivan to yet another round of questions.

"Kinda?" Keith shrugged and pursed his lips. "Andy wasn't created from my DNA alone, there had to be another to I don't know? Help I guess. So they used some other guy's DNA and that's how we got Andy. The guy is actually supposed to stop by soon to bring more baby stuff."

His uncles were silent and Keith shrugged again, "I don't know how that's even possible, but when cloning your dog is apparently a thing, I guess it isn't far-fetched?" he ventured.

"And what are your thoughts on this?" Kolivan asked, wisely leaving the rationale behind Andy's creation alone.

"I would feel better if he showed interest in her, he says that he wants to be her father also, but I don't see conviction there." Keith confessed.

"What do you see?" Kolivan asked as Thace hummed with interest.

"Indecision mostly." Keith frowned, "But there's more to it. He's not open to her. There's no drive there, I know I'm inexperienced with this, but shouldn't he at least look at her with some shred of warmth? There is none when he looks at her and that makes me question his dedication to her. And it pisses me off." Keith admitted.

"I told him if he doesn't want to be involved that's  _fine._ I gave him a way out, but he's either too stubborn or too stupid to admit this isn't what he wants and the only one that will suffer in the end is her." he motioned to Andy.

Now it was Kolivan's turn to hum, while Thace raised his brows. "A little too quick to judge there, don't you think, kit?"

Keith's response was cut off by a call on the buzzer. "...Keith? Um, hey. It's Shiro could you let us back in?"

Part of Keith was honestly surprised that Shiro had actually come back to his apartment. But then again, Shiro could just be dropping off whatever he had back at his place and taking off.

"I'll let you decide if I'm being too harsh." Keith said as he pushed off of the couch and back down the hall to let Shiro and Ryou back into the complex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaah, Shiro is already meeting Keith's dads, how will the poor guy survive?  
> Also, yes, the uncles call Keith kit because I think it's adorable. And Coran is just the most? Like energetic person ever lol, I wonder how the rest of that book goes :'D
> 
> Till next time!~


	6. Family Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I want to clear some things up.
> 
> Also, Shiro and Ryou meet Kolivan and Thace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I think it's pretty clear that some of you guys don't read my notes or just skim them, which is totally cool tbh, because like who wants to hear about my day and shit right? I get that, but it's the end notes that you have to watch out for.  
> I can't always explain things within a story, because they fail to be integrated in a way I'm happy with, so I add relevant notes to the bottom of the story. Those are the ones that I wish people read.  
> Anywho! This update is completely unprecedented, I had not planned on this but after my portrayal of characters and their actions within my story was questioned, I figured I should lead you to the answer. That being said i didn't skim over it before going to bed, so ill edit it later.
> 
> Please Enjoy!~

Shiro and Ryou didn't have to wait too long for the door to be automatically unlocked from a couple of floors above, and soon they were in the elevator on their way to Keith's place again.

The two twins had fallen into silence since their discussion in the car, after Shiro had confirmed that he would make an effort to see his therapist again, Ryou had calmed down. In fact, Dr. Smythe had said that he was more than happy to make an open slot for Shiro the following day in the early morning.

"Are you sure you don't want to start heading back to Arus? I can just catch a shared ride back to my place." Shiro offered, more out of guilt than anything. He was aware of how much he was depending on his younger brother, Shiro was being selfish and clinging to him for the support and reassurance Ryou offered.

"And leave you here to face Kogane alone?" Ryou asked with a skeptical look as the elevator began to pull itself upwards. "I don't remember you ever being this much of a glutton for punishment,  _Aniki."_

Shiro rolled his eyes fondly, "It's not like I ask to be verbally attacked, but he's in his right I guess. But I've taken enough of your week… don't you have a thesis to get back to?"

Ryou waved off Shiro's worries. "Slav is taking a sabbatical so I'm kind of out of an advisor for the next month, He said something along the lines that if he didn't take a month off of teaching, then there was a 38.3% chance that he would drown in his coffee mug."

"But…" Shiro began and hung his head immediately, tumbling the most of his forelock onto his forehead in the process.

"You know what, nevermind." Even though Shiro had long ago learned that there was no logic to the words of Ryou's advisor there were still things he wanted to question. The man was a genius, with the credentials and awards to prove it, but when it came to reality, Shiro was sure that the man could use a few more lessons.

Ryou shrugged a shoulder, "The guy was due for a break anyway, his last vacation was like a decade ago."

"Fair enough" Shiro admitted and stepped out of the elevator, only to pause in surprise when he saw Keith lingering in the hallway outside of his apartment.

"Oh hey." The greeting slipped past Shiro and he tried a smile, though he was sure it didn't quite reach his eyes if the blank look and nod was anything to go by.

"I figured your hands would be full, so I waited for you." Keith explained and stepped aside to let the twins pass.

Both Shiro and Ryou expressed their thanks and Keith closed the door behind them yet again, helping them unload their hands so that they could slip out of their shoes.

And that was when Shiro noticed the two pairs of boots that were not there before. Ryou glanced to his brother in that moment and Shiro shrugged as discretely as he could. Maybe Keith's roommate was back, though from the pictures that Shiro had seen of the lanky man, he didn't think that these boots were his style. But that was pure speculation on his part.

A second later, Keith came back, hand clutching at the back of his neck as he looked to each twin. "My uncles stopped by for a visit. And, um, they were wondering if they could meet you?"

Shiro stilled, fighting his need to back up, knowing very well that if he did that, then he would tumble into Ryou and then they would both fall back into the wall and floor behind them. Keith was introducing Shiro to his family already!? It hadn't even been three hours since they had become acquainted and now he was being asked to meet some integral people from the other man's family? Weren't they moving a little too fast for that? While it was true that Keith had met Ryou already, it was more due to Ryou being there for Shiro rather than Shiro bringing him over specifically to meet Keith.

Still, Shiro supposed that he would have to meet them at some point or another. And besides, It wasn't like he could say  _no,_  they were already within the man's apartment, there was no way that he could refuse.

So with a strained smile, Shiro nodded, "Of course."

Keith didn't offer a smile back and the twins followed him to the same living room that they had occupied a few hours ago.

"Kolivan, Thace, these are Takashi and Ryou Shirogane. Takashi and Ryou, my uncles: Thace and Kolivan Marmora." Keith said gesturing to each person in turn and then returning his hand to Shiro.

"In case you're wondering,  _he's_ Andy's other father though." Keith elaborated, Shiro did not miss the note of indifference in Keith's tone. It seemed that his brother too took note of it and frowned, though a quick and hushed " _Niichan!_ " was quick to stop whatever Ryou was about to comment.

They had to make a good impression, and it was even more crucial if Keith had began to tell his uncles the same doubts he had expressed to Shiro. He wouldn't blame him if he had, it was understandable that he would have done so. And, truth be told, Keith was completely in his rights to gripe about Shiro and his behavior to anyone he wished.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both." Shiro didn't miss a beat in offering his left arm up to Kolivan. He knew it must look odd, that he was offering his left, but since losing his arm and getting the prosthetic in its place, he had never truly been comfortable with leading with the cold and impersonal arm of his. Though, Kolivan didn't seem to take much notice of Shiro's acute decision and took his hand without a pause; and then proceeded to give Shiro the firmest handshake he had ever encountered.

"Likewise." The man's reply was short, but there was no harshness to it.

And just like that, he was shaking Ryou's hand next, and Thace could only offer each of them an acknowledging nod. "I would join in, but as you can see: I have my hands rather full, but it is nice to meet you two as well. Keith didn't tell us you were a twin Takashi."

"Shiro, please." Shiro smiled politely, "Takashi is a little too formal."

"I just told you about him, literally a second ago." Keith huffed while Kolivan retreated to the kitchen only to return with a pair of chairs that he set to the side of the coffee table before reclaiming his own seat.

Keith thanked his uncle and took his seat next to Thace and closest to Andy.

Ryou and Shiro expressed their thanks also and took their seats. "Is she your first child also?" Thace began when the silence started to hover over all of them menacingly.

"Uh, yeah. Yes she is." Shiro's smile was a little too tense, but no one said anything about it. "Ryou's the only other relative that I have, both of our parents were only children."

"I see, I can't really say the same." Thace chuckled light heartedly, though he didn't divulge any more information on the matter, turning the tables back on Shiro instead. "And, excuse my intrusion, but do you plan on having more?"

" _Thace!_ " Shiro was surprised that Keith actually came to his defense, and had the heart to look embarrassed of the situation. "He does not have to answer that. You don't have to answer that."

"It was a simple question." Thace replied as innocently as he could, "I just want to get to know him better. He's going to be family after all."

"So ask him what his favorite color is, or something. Whether he has more kids or not is none of our concern." Keith grumbled and crossed his arms over his chest, slumping back on the couch and muttering things under his breath that made his uncle very much amused.

"Fine, fine." Thace relented and offered Shiro a smile, "We'll get to know each other better at a later date then."

Shiro nodded and beside him Ryou, taking the cue to help his brother stepped in. "Excuse my own curiosity, but do you also share Keith's fondness to motorcycles?"

"We own a motorcycle and automotive repair shop." Kolivan was the one to respond, turning his undivided attention over to both Ryou and Shiro. "But to answer your question, yes Keith developed a love for bikes early on, and we heavily influenced that."

Ryou nodded along, the picture of an attentive guest. And though Shiro would always be the first to deny Ryou his claim of 'twin telepathy', he decided to send all of his thanks through that bond should it actually exist.

"That's interesting, I remember  _Aniki_ used to fantasize about owning a bike of his own, what was it that you wanted? A Yamaha or a Harley?" Ryou asked, and though it was clear that his twin was trying to find some even ground between him and Keith's family; Shiro was not appreciative of the conversation being redirected to him once more.

"A Harley…" he admitted, offering the three men a sheepish smile. "Though to be honest I don't know anything about bikes, I just wanted to learn how to ride one."

"Harley's are pretty decent." Kolivan commented and Thace nodded along, "They're certainly the most recognizable brand name out there too, so it's no surprise that that would be your first choice. Though if I may make a recommendation, I would say you stick to a Yamaha, a Honda made one, or a Ducati. Honda is mostly known for their cars, but they don't lack any talent ad far as bikes are concerned. Keith here has a particular preference to them too if you had a chance to look at Red."

Ryou nodded, smiling easily. "Yeah, he introduced her to us earlier. He mentioned he's had her since he was nineteen."

"He actually had Red longer than that, it just wasn't until then that he was able to work on her himself." Thace explained, "he had to work his way to a beauty like her, but she's in good hands now."

"I'm sure she is." Ryou agreed.

"So, what kind of car do you drive, Ryou?"

"I would like to say I have a classic Chevy to make a better impression, but I have a run of the mill Cruze, 2015 so not bad?" though his words came out as more of a question for the pair than the confident reply Shiro suspected Ryou meant to deliver.

"It ran alright." Keith supplied from his spot on the couch, earning a glance from Kolivan and a chuckle from Thace.

"It seems that we have alot to teach you guys about car choices, and what about you, Shiro? Are you the unfortunate owner of a domestic vehicle as well?"

Shiro flushed momentarily, "I, actually don't own a car. Kind of have a suspended license; so couldn't drive one even if I owned one."

"Well there's certainly no shame in that." Thace tried and Shiro shook his head, holding up his hand.

"It's really no big deal, the Garrison takes care of some of my rides, it's sort of like having my own shuttle so long as it's within the city limits of Arus." Shiro didn't want to get to the details of how he had come to such a compromise and what he had lost in turn.

Luckily the men didn't push, though it did look like they had questions.

After that the conversation went back to lighter topics, though truth be told it was mostly Ryou and Thace who were carrying on the conversation and compensating for their silent family members.

It wasn't until Ryou was bringing up his theories of twin telepathy when they were little that Shiro was feeling the heat rise up to his neck again. " _Niichan!_ "

As much as Shiro was appreciating the effort being placed in getting to know the other party, he did not want to divulge too much of himself at once. They barely knew these people and though it was comforting that they weren't at all bad as he had feared, there were still things that needn't to be shared.

"Oh calm down  _Aniki,_ it's not like it's real remember?" Ryou teased.

"If I may." a gruff voice interjected, and both twins snapped their mouths shut to look at the man who had, for the most part, remained silent throughout their exchange.

"I studied some Japanese back in my day, took a class in college." he began, "But I distinctly remember that both  _Aniki_ , and  _Nii_  variations were meant specifically for the older sibling. Or were my teachers not adequate in their field of study?"

Ryou and Shiro exchanged a look and then shared a shrug. "They weren't wrong, no." Shiro took the lead, since it was his turn to explain the question that tended to follow them. With the rise in popularity of Japanese manga and anime in the population around them, many people were learning the barest minimum of the language and at times calling themselves some sort of expert. That eventually lead to their questioning the twins on their names for one another.

It happened enough so, that Shiro and Ryou eventually came to agree that they would explain their habit in alternating turns.

" _Oniisan_  or  _Oniisama_  are the formal way to address an older brother, while  _Aniki, Niisan,_ and  _Niisama_  are the more informal versions of the honorifics. So you were taught right. The thing is Ryou and I developed a game when we were children. By time of birth I am the eldest brother so the honorific does apply to me, but as we grew up we liked to play Twin Swap to confuse our parents and peers. Our mother wasn't very fond of the game since we looked very alike, not like now of course." Shiro gestures mostly to himself and his new alterations.

"But yeah, every now and then we would play around with the honorifics and eventually mom caught on that I tended to lean more towards  _Niichan_ and Ryou prefered  _Aniki,_  but they played along after a while. And well, they became more like nicknames than the traditional honorifics. So they're more of an endearing habit nowadays. Though it stuck more with Ryou, he has a whole array of nicknames."

"I don't get offered the same courtesy, sadly. There was a period of time in Shiro's early college years where he tried to shake off the habit, but it lasted the test of time." Ryou finished for Shiro and the three men hummed in thought.

"That's strangely… cute?" Keith offered and Thace chuckled.

"I see, thank you for the explanation." Kolivan intoned and finally took a stand, striding over to Thace, "As for you, I think your time's up."

"I don't remember starting my timer though." Thace joked and released his hold of Andromeda, switching her into the strong arms of the shorter man.

"But fine, I need to get some food for us anyway, or we'll all starve. Any preference boys?"

Kolivan didn't say anything and Keith shrugged, Ryou followed suit and ultimately the decision was on Shiro.

"Um, I think we'll be okay with anything you bring. Ryou and I aren't allergic to anything and we're on no special diet, so?"

"I saw a deli down the corner." Ryou offered and stood as well, "Mind if I tag along?"

"Not at all, the company would be appreciated." Thace smiled and turned to Kolivan and Keith, "Be civil, I'll be back soon."

Neither seemed to deem that with any sort of verbal response, other than a quiet grunt and Shiro was finally acutely aware that he was about to be left alone with Keith for the first time since meeting back in Ulaz's office. And not only that, but he was being left with Keith  _and_  his stoic uncle.

Shiro wanted so badly to be able to find an excuse to join his twin, or to switch places. Their swap game would have been more than welcome at that point, but their time for such games was long passed.

"Have fun Tashi!"

And with that, Shiro was left alone with Keith, Kolivan, and a sleeping Andromeda. How ever did he get so lucky?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yes! Yes I do know what sort of honorifics are spoken within a traditional Japanese family, I know the rules as well as a non-Japanese person knows. I am not in any way being ignorant or trying to be insensitive about the topic. Allow Shiro to explain as he does to Kolivan.  
> Shiro will continue to call Ryou _Niichan_ and Ryou will call Shiro whatever strikes my fancy, why? Because that is what I plan to do. I get it, it's not what you're used to, but it's going to happen. If that isn't your cup of tea, then I'm sorry. But don't come at me with education lessons. 
> 
> Till next time!~ ♥


	7. Smile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day one is kinda finally over >>;

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Panic Attack, if this is one of your triggers do be careful. Also lots of awkward silence.
> 
> Oh! Also, before I forget, I may have positively procrastinated and made a diagram of what Lance and Keith's apartment looks like ^^ I am quite proud of it lol pic at the bottom~, but yeah I won't keep you here any longer.
> 
> Enjoy!~

Silence had never been an enemy to Shiro, in fact it had been one of his closest allies right after his accident. Shiro had relied on that quietness in order to steady and find himself. However, it was quickly becoming apparent that the words,  _first time for everything_  wasn't just a saying. It was the concrete truth.

The longer Shiro had to sit in Keith's apartment, the rougher and louder his breathing seemed to get. Even the sound of his swallowing was too loud. Shiro's eyes flicked over to Keith and then to Kolivan nervously while his heart thundered against his ribcage.

Could they not hear how loud it was? Or were they just ignoring him until his brother and Thace returned? Shiro wasn't really sure which scenario was playing out and not knowing was  _not_ helping in any way. Surely they could hear it with how loud it was?

Shiro blinked rapidly as he tried to steady himself, but it was proving to be a fruitless battle. His breathing started to come out in short ragged breaths, while his heart decided to kick itself into overdrive. The shaking began before Shiro was even aware of it, starting at his fingertips and rapidly spreading into his hands. It was only then that Shiro began to feel the beads of sweat that were beginning to gather at his temples.

Another thick swallow echoed noisily in his ears as Shiro tried to work though the trembling of his voice. "Excuse me?"

Keith's sharp eyes slid over to him immediately and Shiro's chest tightened painfully as he fought the urge to flee once more. For a terrifying moment Shiro almost forgot what it was that he needed. Shiro was suffocating under Keith's dark glare, grasping at any coherent sentences in his mind until he finally found the one phrase he needed. "May I use your restroom?"

Keith didn't answer immediately and Shiro began to worry that he would not be given that small piece of information. He would be left out there to choke on his own fear until his ears burst from the booming of his own heart. But after what appeared to be an eternity to Shiro, Keith pointed to the door to Shiro's right. "The door right there."

Barely able to manage a nod of gratitude, Shiro bolted from his seat and with shaking legs slipped into the bathroom. Shiro didn't even make it two steps after locking the door behind him before he crumpled to the floor. Shiro curled in on himself, burying his face into his knees just as the shaking completely overtook his frame and his breathing became even more labored.

Distantly Shiro knew that he was having his first panic attack in over a year. But a larger part of him–the one that was frightened and so unsure of everything happening around him–was not willing to listen to the rational and calming side of his.

_It was too much._ Everything was becoming too much and Shiro was beginning to feel as if he was being crushed by the immense pressure around him. He wasn't ready, why did Shiro think that he would–or rather  _could_  be ready? How could he care for someone else when he couldn't even take care of himself?

_Stop it._  Shiro chided himself, right before his self-doubts and insecurities over the situation slammed back into that quietly protesting thought of his and prevented it from forming into something else. Shiro was out of his depths on this one. He was way in over his head if he thought that he could do this. Shiro needed to resign himself to the fact that he couldn't always have what he wanted. Perhaps it was for the best to stop now.

_No._ The rebellious thought returned to him.

_Calm down Takashi._

_Patience yields focus._

The last couple of thoughts were something softer than a whisper, the cool touch of a breeze against his fevered skin and Shiro held onto those comforting words as tightly as he was gripping his legs. Shiro clutched at the words as if they were a lifeline that were meant to keep him from drowning further in the sea of his self-loathing and doubts.

Shiro repeated the mantra as much as he was able to do so in his current state. "Pa… patience… yields..."

He did that over and over again, fighting against his constricted chest and short breaths until he was able to get the sentence out in one try. But he didn't stop repeating them until he was able to open his eyes again and pull his face away from the safety of his knees.

The second he did, though, Shiro's stomach dropped and he had to remind himself that he was okay. He was  _fine._

The unfamiliar surroundings were unwelcoming and for a horrifying moment Shiro didn't know where he was. But before he could relapse into a second wave of attacks Shiro began to repeat the sequence of events that led up to that moment.

It was the weekend, Saturday the 12th, and three days ago he had been told he was a father by Iverson. He and Ryou had discussed the subject at length and he had thought he would be okay with the change. So he went to Dr. Ulaz's office where he was given confirmation of this fact to be true. However, his expectations had not been realized and Shiro had not taken the news as well as he thought he would. Along with that, Ulaz's office was where he met the man who was also a father to  _his_ daughter and after some further discussions, they were now in Keith's apartment. More specifically, his bathroom where he had a full blown panic attack.

Slowly, after what seemed to be another eternity, Shiro released his hold on his legs and staggered to his feet, using the edge of the sink counter to keep his knees from buckling under him. There was still some lingering tremors, even after he sat down on the solid lid of the toilet. Shiro sat heavily on the smooth surface and hung his head, the action causing drops of what could either be tears or sweat–maybe even a mixture of both–to drip onto his jeans.

Shiro exhaled a sigh and wiped away at his face, only to grimace a second later at the wet mess on his hand. He had cried.

Shiro could at least be thankful that he hadn't had his breakdown in front of Keith and his uncle, but then again the day was still young.

Shiro's movements were lethargic as he used toilet paper instead of his hand to wipe at the mixture of sweat and tears.

Shiro knew better than to berate himself after his attack, but he was unable to help himself. Just how much lower could he get? Did he need even more proof until he could grasp that he was not suited to care for the child that was his?

* * *

On the other side of the door, Keith and Kolivan were unaware of the young man and his ongoing battle with his inner demons. Keith had taken advantage of the silence and resumed his studies. While Kolivan sat silently next to him with Andy nestled comfortably in his arms.

During his reading, Keith had to wonder how long Thace would be away, and if Shiro had only gone to the bathroom in order to escape them. Maybe he was in there and fervently texting his twin to come back soon; the thought was amusing to Keith, though it made him no less curious. Was Shiro that put on edge by Kolivan, or even himself that he had to hide away in the bathroom and hope for rescue? Keith could honestly say that he would not have pegged Shiro as someone who was easily intimidated.

While it was true that both of his uncles—actually all three if Antok was being included—were quite imposing in both stature and build, Keith didn't see what he was so intimidated by. His uncles weren't the only ones gifted in that area of body mass. Shiro may not be that tall or as built, but he was certainly taller than the average man and it did not go unseen that Shiro was a gym regular.

Keith wasn't sure how much time passed until the door to the bathroom opened and Shiro returned to the living room, and shuffled back into his seat.

It was only then that the comfortable silence that had settled between Keith and Kolivan suddenly became uncomfortable and very much  _there_ with the addition of Shiro's presence. Keith held in the sigh he wanted to exhale and looked up from Coran's book.

_So much for finishing this today._  He thought with a light scowl and looked over to where Shiro was obviously trying to make himself as invisible as he possibly could.

Keith's scowl became even more pronounced as he watched Shiro and he would have slammed his book closed if it wasn't for the fact that Andy was sleeping. Keith crossed his arms and sunk into the couch again after setting the book aside, and looked away stubbornly.

Keith suspected that the rest of the wait would be endured with silence as their fifth companion.

Shiro hadn't attempted to start a conversation, and neither did Keith. Kolivan, Keith presumed, did not want to get himself involved between the two just yet. And Keith honestly couldn't blame his uncle. He was sure that if the roles had been reversed, and it was Kolivan facing the father of his child who  _wasn't_  either Thace or Antok, then he too wouldn't want to get involved.

So there they sat, with Shiro fidgeting in his seat and refusing to look away from a very interesting stain on the carpet. While Keith bounced his attention from Andy, his uncle, the book, Shiro, and to the stain Lance had made long ago when he had spilled a bottle of Chamoy. He and Lance had worked their hands to the bone to get it out but had only succeeded in making the stain bigger. Maybe they should have looked up how to remove it before going at it with a wet cloth and soap, but by the time they realized their mistake, it had been too late. And so the pinkish stain was added to their house.

Surprisingly, it was Shiro who broke the silence after a few minutes. "I'm sorry. Would you mind if I talked for a bit, silence is…? I'm usually fine with it, but right now?" His words cut off and once again he shifted in his seat.

Keith only shrugged his shoulder, giving Shiro a non-committal grunt to go ahead. Who was he to stop Shiro from talking? Keith didn't care, so long as he didn't say anything bad about his family then Keith would be okay with whatever the other had to say.

Shiro's shoulders relaxed a bit. If Keith had been paying more attention to the man across from him, he would've taken notice that not only was Shiro really tense, he was also pretty pale.

"Thanks." Shiro tried for a smile and failed, the corners of his lips falling back before they could even form the attempt.

Another beat of silence passed between them and just when Keith thought that Shiro was going to take his request back, the man began to speak again. "Ryou has always been easier to talk to, even when we were kids."

Another lapse.

"You'd think that he was the less sociable one considering how he spent most of our school years with his nose buried in textbooks. But he's always been more comfortable talking to strangers." Shiro actually managed a smile that time, albeit a small one.

"High school was the place where we became more distinguishable, actually." He confessed and Keith resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He was not interested in knowing all of Shiro's woes and how he differed from his brother. He wasn't even sure why he was still listening to Shiro drone on about things that no longer mattered.

"I… sorry I don't know where I was going with that thought." He pushed back his white forelock and sighed. "That was pointless, I'm sorry."

Keith frowned, irritation radiating off of him as he finally let his eyes linger on Shiro until the other met his eyes as well. "Quit apologizing, it's annoying."

Shiro opened his mouth and managed to say, "I'm s—" before he shut his mouth with a harsh click. And looked away as his face flushed red with embarrassment.

"Kit." Kolivan growled under his breath and just like that, they fell back into uncomfortable silence once again.

Not long after that, however, the door opened and conversation spilled into the apartment. "No way, I can't believe you were one of the Balmera protesters!"

Thace's warm laughter quickly followed, "I have the arrest record to prove it too. In fact, that jail cell was where Kolivan and I first met."

"Now that's a story I want to hear, but first the protest, was it true that the feds showed up with riot gear and everything? Tanks too?"

"Ah," Thace's reply to Ryou's questions didn't make it to his lips as he paused at the entrance to the living room and looked at the three men they had left behind. "Well, don't let us ruin your fun." Thace said rather dryly, though not unkindly from the look of the soft smile on his face. As much as he loved the men in his life, Thace knew very well that both Kolivan and Keith were not the most sociable of people.

"Can we really not leave you alone for ten minutes without the tension escalating to Weblum proportions?" Thace shook his head and made his way over to Keith, unpacking his take out bag and pressing a sub to his hands before he claimed the single seat couch that Kolivan had occupied before.

"So what did we miss?"

* * *

"Not much."Shiro answered his twin, while his traitorous mind unhelpfully added:  _just a brief panic attack in the bathroom, some really awkward silence, and an even more awkward conversation._

Ryou gave Shiro a reassuring smile as he handed off a wrapped sandwich and took his seat as well. "Don't look so glum,  _Aniki_. They had your favorite look, grilled chicken with all the veggies."

Shiro shot his twin a weak smile and nodded, "Thanks Ryou."

"Anytime Tashi, you know that." the comforting words were accompanied with a pat to his shoulder that further helped to calm Shiro.

The four of them ate in relative silence–Kolivan had his hands full and had refused to eat just yet–broken every now and then by Thace or Ryou who tried their best to keep the atmosphere from getting too heavy.

"So, Shiro have you given any thoughts to how care of Andy will be divided?" Thace mused.

Had the older man not sent a rather pointed and inquiring gaze in Shiro's direction, Shiro would have thought that there was only curiosity behind the question. But the way that he was being observed did  _not_  give Shiro the impression that the questions was merely for casual reasons.

Shiro managed to stall for a couple of seconds while he over-chewed his bite until the mush in his mouth almost made him sick again.

Swallowing it before he had to spit his food out, Shiro exhaled through his nose. "I have…" he tested the words out on his tongue.

All of the eyes around Shiro were expectant, asking questions he did not want to answer. They all asked him to unveil his deepest shame, to shove his vulnerability into broad daylight and to be poked and prodded by these strangers.

"I think that for the time being, her place is here with Keith. I…" Shiro resisted the urge to look to his twin. "I have to get a few things situated and after I do that, I will have a better answer for you."

Shiro's eyes flickered over to where Keith was glaring at him and he quickly looked away and back to Thace. "I'm sorry I don't have a better answer for you. I assure you all that I am committed to her, I want to be a part of her life, but there are a few things that I need to work on first, personally."

Ryou cleared his throat. "Please excuse me for cutting in, this time of year is very stressful for my brother and the news of all of this has only added to his plate. All that he asks is for a little more time to let all of this fully sink in and to get his bearings. Shiro is great with kids trust me, he was actually a camp counselor for two years down at Sunny-Go-Lion camp."

Thace hummed appreciatively, "Can't say we know much about the camp, but what little experience you gained there about kids is good. Great on you Shiro, and please don't be a stranger."

Shiro nodded, his shoulders relaxing as he returned to his sub, "Thanks." he smiled before a bite and the tension began to ease out of the room once again.

The first thing Ryou did after finishing his meal was ask for Andy, leaving Kolivan to claim his sandwich and begin eating. More drinks were provided and idle chatter was once again commenced, Keith, Shiro, and Kolivan providing the minimal effort in input when they needed to.

* * *

Not too long after, Thace showed Keith, Shiro, and Ryou how to make a bottle out of formula and how to warm it for Andy without using the microwave.

"And there you have it boys the perfect temperature bottle for your little one." Thace smiled and handed it off to one of the boys. Keith noticed that Shiro wouldn't reach for it and Ryou was obviously waiting for one of the two fathers to take the lead. So Keith took the bottle and disappeared back to the living room where Kolivan was entertaining a fussing Andromeda.

"The cavalry has arrived." Keith smiled and Andy was passed over to him where he fed her.

_The first of many feedings_. The thought warmed Keith in the sensation that he was becoming intimately familiar with.

"Did you have a nice nap Andy?" Keith cooed and smiled when Andy smiled around the tip of the bottle.

"Do you like your name?" He proceeded to ask, laughing when she smiled once more around the bottle. "You do don't you, Andromeda. That's right you are Andromeda, my beautiful galaxy."

"If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I would have never believed that such a scene played out." A voice cut into Keith's bubble of bliss and a pout formed on the young man's face.

"Hey don't look at me like that." Thace held up his hands in surrender, "I'm just saying that never in my most wildest daydreaming, did I imagine that my beloved unruly little nephew would fall to the clutches of babyhood."

"Thace." perhaps the warning Kolivan had meant to send would have been more effective if his smile could be concealed. But Kolivan didn't even try to hide it, not that it couldn't be heard in that almost monotone tone of his.

Thace laughed and the rest of the house followed suit, even Keith flushed pink, joined in on the merry laughter.

* * *

"Well I think we have overstayed our welcome." Ryou said taking a stand, "Shiro has a pressing appointment tomorrow morning and we have a long drive ahead of us, but hey Keith mind if we exchange numbers in case we need to schedule anything?"

"Ah, yeah, no go ahead." Keith rattled off his number and Kolivan was nice enough to note down the twin's numbers down for him.

Their goodbye's were exchanged and they left not long after.

"They're nice kids, but I can see what you were talking about." Thace was the first to say as he took a seat next to Kolivan on the couch and made himself comfortable against his husband.

Kolivan hummed, "There is definitely something troubling him."

"You think?" Keith snorted and pressed a soft stuffed animal into Andy's hands.

"Cut him some slack Kit." Thace said after a moment. "When I was out with Ryou, I got the sense that there was something they weren't saying just yet. That something is what's holding him back from reaching out emotionally… Keith what do you know exactly about Takashi?"

Keith shrugged a shoulder. "Not much other than his name and his brother, and that he had three days in advance to prepare."

"I thought the project was under wraps until today?"

"No to Garrison personnel apparently." Keith shrugged, "Shiro was given a heads up and that was why he was able to buy all of this baby stuff beforehand."

"So he's from the Garrison." Kolivan stated more than asked, prompting a questioning glance from Keith.

"That would explain a few blanks here and there." Thace agreed, "But we can't jump to conclusions, Keith." his uncle shot him a knowing glance.

"You are going to have to share your time from here on out. He will be a constant presence in your life from now on, you realize that, dont you, Kit?"

Keith frowned, but he nodded after a moment. And not long after followed his gesture with a resigned "Yes. I know."

"Good." Thace pulled his phone out and slipped away from Kolivan, "Now that we have that settled, I think it's time that we take the long overdue family pictures!"

Keith groaned, but pretty soon his smile resurfaced, and it wasn't just for the camera.

"Say cheese Andy!"

* * *

**[Bonus]**

"Isn't it amazing." Thace was telling Kolivan on their way back to their shop many hours later and after a lengthy discussion of what Keith would do if he needed help. Thace had offered to spend the night, but Keith had been adamant on finishing the first day on his own.

Kolivan hummed in response. "It is."

"I really missed that smile of his." Thace's tone was filled with regret.

Kolivan reached out to take Thace's hand in his. "You are not responsible for what happened in the past, Thace. The fault does not lie on your head."

Thace knew better than to contradict his husband, no matter how much he believed that he was in the right. He was Keith's only next of kin, aside from his sister wherever she may be. And after the death of Keith's father, James, he should have taken custody of the boy. But there had been delays in the system, counteless court cases and strikes against him that it had seemed nearly impossible until after some miracles, Keith had returned home. But he was not the same boy Thace had known. Keith had changed, whatever he had to endure as a child in the broken system had cut him deep. And the price that Keith had been forced to pay was that radiant smile he had once had.

But now, Thace was beginning to see that smile again. And it had come in a very unusual way. Not that he would ever complain.

"One day I will come to terms with that." Thace replied after his long pause.

Kolivan squeezed his hand assuringly in response. And Thace had to smile, "By the way, on a scale from one to ten, ten being highest, how jealous will Antok be that we got to meet our grandniece without him?"

Kolivan laughed. "Wait and find out, though I wouldn't be surprised if he got the first bike he saw and showed up at Keith's door within ten minutes of seeing the pictures."

"So an eleven."

"Definitely."

[Click here for a pic because I forgot how to insert ><](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/448359868261466132/475130326989930496/unknown.png)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So like I know that the fan favorite name for Keith's dad is Tex.. but like what kinda name is that guys lol. ~~Granted Kolivan and Thace ahem, all Galran names sans Keith, are kinda out there~~ but who names their kids Texas? *eyes Texas  
>  Anywho, I have a friend @Abyssiniana who headcannons his name to be James, and well allow me to borrow the name lol, but there you have it folks, Keith and Shiro both have issues~ but there's a glimpse of Keith's, and Shiro's own troubles will arise soon ^^.
> 
> Needless to say :D we have Coran-time on the next installment, lord Zarkon help me ^^;
> 
> I may have made a second Bonus scene with Keith and Andy >> 5 new comments and I'll upload it~ ~~who said I was above bribery :D~~
> 
> Till Next time!~


	8. Bonus: Sweet Dreams Andy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sleeping arrangements are discussed and sweet promises exchanged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the promised Bonus chapter for getting over Five comments since the last update. Y'all can thank 27kirune12 for this as they singlehandedly handed me 7 amazing comments overnight :D and another private one was sent over PM, which you guys can totally do lol.  
> Anywho!~ Enjoy and Kirune T^T/ tysm for loving the story enough to let me know your thoughts as you read them it really made my week ♥♥♥

Keith yawned not for the first time as he settled Andy on the bed again, careful to build a small wall of pillows around her just in case she rolled to her side.

"Wait for a second and I'll be right back." he spoke to her softly and smiled when she blinked up at him.

He loathed to leave her alone even for a few seconds, but Keith knew it couldn't be helped, the bed was definitely a safer place for her to be on, and he had to think that the car seat wasn't all that comfortable. And his floor, well if Keith was honest with himself, his bedroom floor wasn't the cleanest at the moment. That wasn't to say that Keith was a slob, he was actually pretty clean if he said so himself, maybe not Lance clean, but definitely cleaner than most guys in his age group. Keith simply hadn't had much of a motivation to go down to the laundry room lately, or to pick up his discarded clothes.

He would get a chance to do that soon, he promised.

For now he just had to brush his teeth and wash his face before joining Andy for bed, and unfortunately for Keith, he needed both hands to do that.

With a last look of reassurance sent to his daughter, Keith headed off to the restroom, washing his face with the cucumber mint face wash that Lance had gotten for him not long ago. Keith had to admit that he never would have known that face washing was a thing if it hadn't been for Lance and his insistence on the subject. But where Lance did the whole ritual, including face masks and toners, Keith was fine with just washing his face before cleaning his teeth and heading to bed.

The act alone couldn't have lasted more than a few minutes, but the time to Keith felt much longer. He knew, logically, that there was only a thin wall separating him and Andy, but the small nagging worry was still there.

Keith gargled the water in the back of his throat for as long as he needed to and after spitting it away, Keith was finally allowed to return to Andy.

"Miss me Andy?" Keith smiled when she greeted him with open arms and reaching hands.

"I am taking that as a yes." Keith chuckled and pulled her into his arms once again and sat on the bed.

"Now about sleeping arrangements." he murmured more to himself than to the child. "Coran thinks you're old enough to sleep on your own and that the dangers of things happening while you sleep have gone down significantly, but that would only work if you had your own bed. And I know there is another bed inside this apartment, but like Hell am I going to let you into Lance's room, that place is crawling with Lance cooties."

Keith's thoughts then went to his best friend and roommate, he had promised to call him later that day, but he hadn't gotten the chace. _Tomorrow_ , Keith reasoned and fought back another yawn.

How was he even going to start explaining things? While it was true that both Kolivan and Thace had taken the news way better than he could have ever imagined, and later Antok after he gave Keith an earful of not letting him visit as well, Lance was a whole new matter. He was a bigger handful than any of Keith's uncles and Keith was already feeling tired of that soon to be realized conversation.

But Keith would worry about that at a later date, for now he had something else to figure out.

"I can build another fort, Lance isn't using his pillow..." Keith trailed off and hummed, "But he also has a bit of a drooling case..." and at Andy's inquisitive eyes, Keith shook his head. "Don't worry I'll use his pillow. You can use mine and we'll get tucked into bed. How does that sound?"

Andromeda's reply came as an incoherent babble and Keith smiled, could it be that she was actually trying to reply to him?

It was an odd thought, but would it really be that far fetched if she  _could_  understand everything he was saying? She was a genetically engineered child of science after all. And though the thought made some sort of sense, Keith knew that such a thing was just his tired mind getting ahead of him. Andy was a baby, she tended to babble and this was a good thing according to Coran, it meant she was well on her way to learning her first few words.

"Right, so let's do that then." Keith nodded and stood up again, padding over to Lance's room and straight to his bed where he collected the two pillows that his friend had laid out carefully before leaving for his trip.

"I think we're gonna need more pillows after he comes back..." Keith mused and returned down the hall to his room. "I'm going to set you down again and get this all nice okay?"

A yawn was his answer that time.

Keith grinned and settled Andy down in the middle of the bed and lined a pillow against the wall, then he moved one of his pillows over to where he would lay Andy down and added his second one between them so she wouldn't roll into him and he to her. Lastly, Keith settled Lance's pillow to where his main one used to be.

"There." Keith settled Andy in the makeshift little nest and tucked a blanket around her. "I'm not really accustomed to sharing a bed, but I don't think I snore, if I do just hit my nose and I'll stop okay?"

Keith didn't get a reply that time, but he did get a blank look from his daughter.

"If you're worried that I'll hit your nose if you snore you don't have to be, I promise I wont let anything happen to you. And I will never hurt you okay?"

Andy smiled at him and Keith smiled back, Keith leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I love you so much, Andy. And I hope you will love me too when you grow up."

Silence settled into the room for a second, nothing oppressing or ill-mannered in any way. It was nice, a calming silence that Keith hadn't experienced in his recent years. It was welcoming and something he found oddly comforting.

"I don't know of any bedtime stories, but if you give me until tomorrow, then I can learn a few for you and after learning a few more, I can read to you every night that I can. For right now though I'm afraid that's all I have, I hope that's okay."

Andy's eyes drooped and she yawned, Keith caught the yawn as well and nodded, "Bedtime it is, sweet dreams Andy." Keith turned off the lamp on his nightstand and settled into his side of the bed.

Keith would like to say that he had the best night of his sleeping career that night, but considering that he was woken up twice to a crying child a foot away from him; well, that wasn't the case.

Keith wasn't one to complain, however. Irritation lied under the surface of his tired grogginess, but he couldn't blame Andy. He had signed up for all of this and he would bear as many sleepless nights as he had to, Keith would never complain about this. He would change as many diapers as needed, make as many bottles as Andromeda wanted and he would rock her to sleep for as long as she needed him to.

For her, Keith would do anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys... I need Lance to come back, like now lol. But he's too busy having the time of his life with Allura, which is cool I want him to, but c'mon Lance come meet your niece!!
> 
> Next chapter will be up... eventually, anyway I can bribe another 5 comments for it?
> 
> XD see you next time, have a great weekend!~


	9. Spark of Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I won't keep you long here, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO WAS KIND ENOUGH TO COMMENT ~~and thus provide the fuel for this chapter~~ Y'all are angels and I fucking love you!!
> 
> Anywho I wanted to get this out before getting wrecked by Season 7 that came out literally 10 minutes ago. So like yeah, I'mma go do that O7
> 
> Enjoy!~

"Shiro, my boy! How great it is to see you!" Shiro was greeted with the enthusiasm of his therapist and his sunny smile.

Shiro's smile was dim compared to Dr. Smythe's, but no less warm as he nodded to the older man. "It's always a pleasure to see you as well, Dr. Smythe. How have you been?"

The redheaded doctor laughed, "We've been over this Shiro, none of that Dr. Smythe business, Dr. Smythe was my grandfather and I haven't quite earned his title, yet. Coran is more than enough. But, I think you stole the words right out of my mouth, old sport."

As he was saying all of this, Dr. Smythe ushered Shiro into his office, closing the door behind him and turning on the small silencing device by the door.

"I'm the one who should be asking  _you_  how you've been. It's not really common for you to schedule a session out of the blue. Not that I don't enjoy our little chats, but to see you outside of our scheduled appointments, you can see why the worry should lie on my side of the court, hm?" Shiro had watched Dr. Smythe, Coran, go about the office as he always did when their sessions began. The doctor grabbed his tablet and began to type and swipe nimbly as he spoke and made his way over to his high backed recliner where he took his seat. The manila folder Shiro had given him upon arriving resting comfortably on his lap.

"Yes, I know that our next meeting wasn't until next week." Shiro admitted as much, "But I didn't want to put off seeing you for too long…"

Shiro trailed off, chewing the inside of his cheek for a second, hesitation on the tip of his tongue and a deflection of attention behind that. Shiro hadn't been above stalling in the past and he was seriously considering so at that moment. The only reason Shiro didn't resort to doing so right then and there, though, was his promise to Ryou to get better.

Shiro gathered as much strength as he could and exhaled a soft sigh. "I'm not going to lie, because by this point I think it's pretty much pointless and it does nothing to guide us in the right direction." And though Shiro said that, he still stole a moment, stalling for a second longer so that he could face Dr. Smythe.

Shiro could not look away, because if he did, he would lose his nerve and fall back on either silence or a lie. Shiro didn't want to do either option. Lying was a form of regression and would negate all of the progress that he has made over the last couple of years. While silence would simply get him nowhere and he would stay stagnant in his current predicament. Neither option would lead him to recovery and both would help him lose his newfound family.

It was only with that knowledge in mind that Shiro was able to swallow back the lump that had formed in his throat. "I think that I might be falling back into depression and that scares... no, it more than scares me, it  _terrifies_ me and I want to stop it before it gets out of control and I begin to worsen."

Though Shiro didn't say it, the unspoken  _again_  hung menacingly between them.

Dr. Smythe's eyes softened as he nodded along to Shiro's words, giving the younger man the chance to add any other words he needed before he offered his assurances.

"You're doing the right thing, Shiro." Coran said softly.

"Thank you," Shiro's smile was still a shadow of its former self.

Once again they lapsed into silence and Shiro found himself listening to the gentle humming of the white noise machine as he ran a hand through his white forelock.

Shiro worried at his bottom lip for a few more precious seconds of silence before he relented and began to explain his predicament.

"Since we last met, things had been going pretty much the same as always. My job at the Garrison has remained the same, no changes there. And things with Ryou are pretty good too, I got to see more of him this weekend since his professor decided to take a month long sabbatical, so I'm really happy about that but..."

Shiro hadn't even realized that he had started wringing his hands but when he noticed it, Shiro forced his hands apart and sent Coran an apologetic look with a muttered apology.

Coran's nod prompted to go on and Shiro took a deep breath through his nose.

"Then, on Tuesday, Iverson called me into his office. And to be clear before there are any misunderstandings, I was not in any sort of disciplinary trouble. Or in danger of losing my job or anything like that… but somehow… I think I would have taken that better than what he actually told me."

Shiro had given that thought too much attention during the night. It wasn't that Shiro would have  _prefered_  to lose his job, or would have taken that over Andy, but he honestly believed that it would have been easier on him. Saying it aloud though, in the safety of Coran's office, made Shiro see that he wouldn't have handled it any better. Shame burned Shiro's cheeks and he ducked his head.

"I'm sorry, that's not true. I know that's not true but that doesn't stop me from almost believing that a lost job is a better alternative to–" Shiro was interrupted by a hiss when pain shot up his right leg. He had to forcefully stop his prosthetic hand from crushing his knee cap.

Shiro sent an apologetic look to the attentively listening doctor. "Sometimes I forget that my strength isn't what it used to be… but Iverson told me something that has changed my life forever."

Shiro couldn't stop his hands from fidgeting. Coran had long told him that it was fine if he did so, whatever helped him stay calm. Shiro appreciated that he was allowed to tap out the three beat rhythm on his leg.

"And what was that news, Shiro?" Coran asked, his blue eyes calmly regarding Shiro with no judgement, only encouragement for him to continue when he was ready.

Shiro took a deep breath and steeled himself further to what he was about to say. He was still wrapping his head around it and the more he said it out loud, the more real it became.

"He told me that." Shiro swiped his tongue over his lower lip. And with a strained voice, Shiro capped off his reply, "I'm a father, Coran."

Silence rained down on them for too long, Shiro counted a total of ten heart beats before Coran cleared his throat and hummed. "Well, I can honestly say that that wasn't what I was expecting to hear from you today, Shiro. Nevermind the fact that Iverson of all people was the one delivering this message to you."

Shiro flushed for a moment and ducked his head, "That's where things got even more complicated, actually. I didn't sleep with a woman and accidentally get her pregnant if that's what you're thinking."

They had touched that subject many times before, and Shiro had made it abundantly clear that he was gay. So it went without saying that Shiro was not the least bit attracted to women at all, and much less in any sexual way.

"Sperm donation is nothing to be ashamed of, Shiro." Coran said.

And a humorless laugh echoed out of Shiro as he shook his head. "If only that had been the case." perhaps his tone was a little too bitter. But Shiro would find some time to beat himself up over it later.

"It wasn't a case of accidental or even purposeful insemination." Shiro elaborated, eyes focused on his tapping fingers.

"As far as I know my sperm wasn't even used. And I know that sounds crazy. How else do you make a child right?" Shiro chanced a glance at Coran only to duck his head again. Something told Shiro that eye contact was only going to make him lose his nerves.

"I have a child that was created in such a strange and taboo way..." Shiro sighed, he was honestly unsure if he was even allowed to tell Coran of what had transpired much less hand him the proof, but he  _needed_ to tell his therapist, Shiro knew that much.

"My DNA, some part of it, was used to make and artificial human... and trust me I know, I  _know_  that all of this sounds like a load of well bullshit. Everything that I was allowed to know about the  _procedure_  is in those documents if you want to look them over. But that's how I became a father."

There was a long pause between Shiro's words and whatever it was that Coran would say next.

Shiro expected Coran's face to change, even the slightest bit, as he regarded Shiro and proceeded to tell him that there was a flaw in his tale. But despite his fears, Coran continued to look at Shiro with nothing less than sympathetic worry and something that calmed Shiro. The look of gentle understanding made Shiro relax the smallest bit into the cushions under him.

"I see." Coran twisted the end of his immaculately trimmed and groomed mustache. However, the manila folder remained untouched on his lap. "The concept of human cloning and the advancement of pregnancies influenced by man and science outside of the conventional and expected consummation of a man and a woman have been in the works far longer than you have been alive, my boy."

"I can't say that what they did was right or wrong..." he trailed off and shook his head, "But we are not here to discuss the ethics behind the world of science and what it has been up to in the last few decades, are we?"

"No." Shiro conceded, pausing his tapping only to crack the joints of his knuckles.

The action of the air leaving his joints was too noisy in the office, but Coran didn't seem to mind it. And just like that, Shiro found the rest of his story coming out easily.

"I was told that I was a father, but I wasn't really told the  _"How's"_ by Iverson, he kinda just sent me home and let me stew over this information over the next couple of days. Things were fine after that, I confided in Ryou and he said he would support me with anything that I needed. Skip over to yesterday and I finally got to meet her..."

Shiro had to take a breath, tears stinging the back of his eyes as the thought back to the previous day and what he had thought, said, and done–or lack of thereof.

"Shiro?" the prod was gentle and Shiro had to nod to let Coran know that he had heard him.

"I know that I shouldn't mull over the details, but... Coran I was so cold and distant towards the entire situation, I was like... It probably looked like I didn't care about her at all and I do–! I  _want_ to!" Shiro flinched at the desperateness in his voice and fought to keep it even.

"But I couldn't–can't. I look at her and I can't find it in myself to be happy, not the tiniest bit. And that scares me, because what if I  _can't_  love her? What if I'm incapable of it? She's my daughter, Coran, and I can't even  _smile_ at her. I can't hold her without her crying in my arms, she knows that I just can't and... I've thought that maybe I shouldn't be there for her? What if I'm no good for her? And what if her other father is right and I should just...disappear?"

Shiro had to pause to wipe away at the tears that had fallen onto his lap without his permission. "I swear that I want to be there for her. I want to hold her I want to make her smile, so then why? Why can't I Coran?."

Coran hadn't interrupted him, not even once. He had simply let Shiro ramble and vent his words away until he was ready.

"Shiro, my lad look at me."

Shiro hadn't really realized that he had lowered his head again and was glaring through blurry tears at his hands bunched up in the material of his pants. It took him a minute, but he released their hold and dragged his head up to look at the kind man before him.

"No matter what you may think right now, it will be okay. Do me a favor and list your feelings as best as you can."

Shiro did.

Coran was thoughtful for a moment, "It may be hard to believe, old sport. But, what you are feeling is actually very common. There is nothing wrong with you, Shiro. What you are experiencing right now is something that we can treat. You have suffered from depression before and I have seen how strong you were back then, this time won't be much different."

Shiro sniffed as he nodded along to the therapist's words, he didn't quite believe Coran when he said that he would be okay. But the was a small spark of hope that Shiro gained from Coran's words, and Shiro would shelter that small spark until it grew and was able to burn away at the numbness.

"Shiro," his name was called again and Shiro blinked to look at Coran, who had apparently gotten up and rounded his office when Shiro was lost in himself.

"What do you know about postpartum depression?"

Shiro's brow furrowed in confusion as he shook his head.

His therapist smiled kindly, "It's a common affliction that affects a large portion of new and old mothers who recently gave birth, in fact there are over 3 million cases alone documented across the Coalition countries. But that's in women alone. Men." Coran sighed.

"Men are known to have such a depression period as well when they become fathers, but, of course, that's where the subject becomes controversial. People claim that women are the only true sufferers of this sort of depression and they gloss over the father's feelings because  _he_  didn't birth the child. As you know, emotions outside of the norm spectrum for males haven't been universally accepted, even in our advancing society. But it doesn't make this depression any less true."

Coran returned to Shiro with a small book in his hands, "Day's do get brighter, Shiro, my boy. Do not lose hope in yourself. Why, I witnessed a case not long ago where someone was having the same negative feelings and with some guiding help and treatments, they're now having a wonderful life with their child."

When Shiro didn't reply right away, Coran smiled. "Chin up, my boy. I am sure that you can kick this depression in the ass once again."

"Thank you, Coran." Shiro's smile felt more warm, less forced.

"No need to thank me for this." Coran chuckled, "I just want to see you better, ah and baby pictures I am afraid that those images are a non-negotiable part of this agreement."

Shiro's laugh was–just like his smile–a shadow of it's usual self, but it was progress. "Of course, when I can, I'll take a picture of her. Well,  _if_  I can even get close enough to her, then I will let you know."

Coran nodded, satisfied. "Now what was that other thing you said earlier? Did I hear mention of another father being in the picture? I had no idea you had gone and gotten yourself a man."

Shiro resisted the urge to flinch and pursed his lips. "He kinda came with the baby package deal. We're not together, in fact I'm convinced that the guy hates my guts for," Shiro gestured to himself, "How I am right now. He wants nothing to do with me and I can't really blame him. But yeah, I don't think we're even on friendly levels yet. Besides, I don't think I'm ready for any romance after the last disaster of a so-called relationship." A shrug followed.

"He'll come around, I don't think I've ever heard of anyone who was immune to liking you."

"Did you not hear that this guy literally hates me?"

The man laughed and Shiro was left with a confused look on his face.

"Now, what else would you like to discuss?" Coran asked and the subject of Shiro's depression was spoken in even further depths while the older man wrote down Shiro's next prescription medicine for his newest condition and handed Shiro his manila folder back.

There was still hope, Shiro reminded himself on the way back home. He would not feel this way forever, he would be happy and things will be alright. It may not be now, or even later. In a few weeks to a couple of months Shiro would be fine, until then he had to push forward and keep trying.

Shiro's mood was slowly elevating, until his phone chimed and his screen read:  _Msg from Keith_.

* * *

"Hello beautiful! Keith why didn't you tell me how cute she is!" Antok demanded as he pressed kiss after kiss to Andy's dimpled cheek.

"This little girly is going to break so many hearts when she grows up, aren't you? Papa better watch out cuz he's gonna have a whole mess of boys to scare off." Antok chuckled.

Papa… Keith's brows knitted at the unusual name he would be called from now on. It was strange, in his opinion, to suddenly have a title like that overnight and be stuck with it for the remainder of his life. Keith never would have thought that  _he_  of all people would be the father of anything, not even a dog much less the precious girl in Antok's hands.

"Hi Andy! I am uncle Antok. Wanna say it back to me? Aaaaan-to-k." the older man repeated for her slowly, annunciating the vowels of his name and then emphasizing the harshness of the  _K_  at the end of his name.

"Also, want to know a secret?" the man stage whispered, " _A_  names rule, and don't let anyone tell you they don't 'kay?"

Keith raised an eyebrow at his uncle, "Really? That's your point of focus?"

The tall man chortled, loud and boisterous. "You only have yourself to blame, Kit. If I had been allowed to see her yesterday I would have gotten  _all_ of this out of my system and I wouldn't be here today. Isn't that right precious? Look at papa Keith being mean and selfish and keeping you all to himself. You think you know a guy because you raised him, but then he goes and does this to me."

Keith groaned, "Antok, it wasn't that we wanted to keep you out of the loop. Thace and Kolivan just appeared  _without_  invitation, I was going to tell you all at the same time but things didn't work out like that."

"A phone call isn't exactly that hard to do, yanno." Antok rebutted and Keith frowned.

Point taken. But still.

"I'm sorry okay. Yesterday was just really overwhelming and by the end of it we were all just tired and..." Keith trailed off, his excuse becoming just that, a pathetic excuse.

"Calm down will ya, Kit. I'm just messin' with you. I know yesterday was intense, but a little courtesy call really would have been appreciated." Antok shot Keith a look for a moment, his gray eyes unable to hide his amusement, and just like that Keith knew that he and his uncle were not on bad terms.

"I know." Keith agreed easily enough and slid a steaming plate of  _Ropa Vieja_  over to Antok.

Lance–bless his soul–had made sure to make enough food for Keith to eat while he was away. The only drawback for Keith was that Lance's definition of a single serving didn't exactly match Keith's, so there always tended to be extra leftovers.

"I'll call you first with any major news next time."

"Promise?" his uncle asked, though unable to keep a straight face when Andy started to smile at him.

"Cross my heart." Keith said and dug his fork within the Cuban dish.

"That'a boy!" Antok patted Keith's back and settled Andy on his large thigh as he used his now free hand to hold his fork. "And I see you still like eating your food cold, never really outgrew that, didya?"

Keith shrugged, "Pretty sure it's a matter of taste not age, but no."

They ate in silence for a moment. "Where are Thace and Kolivan anyway?"

It was Antok's turn to shrug this time around. "They left me here and hit the road, but said that they'll be back. I wouldn't be too worried. The shop doesn't have any repairs right now so everything and anything can wait until tomorrow. Speaking of, I hear you'll be joining us first thing tomorrow morning?"

"Uh, yeah. I can't really wait for a job to just fall in my lap now, you know?"

"Your dream job will come knocking on your door someday, Kit. I just know it." Antok smiled and Keith returned the gesture.

"Yeah." he intoned. "One day, but for now I'm just happy to be employed."

Antok laughed. "You can work there for as long as you want, oh and Kolivan did ask me to hand you that envelope." he nodded towards the manila envelope that was on the coffee table. Keith had noticed it when his uncle had sat down, but he hadn't given the envelope much thought, thinking it was just something that Antok was going to take to the post office later after his visit.

"What is it?" Keith asked after he swallowed the latest bit of Lance's food.

"Open it and find out, Kit." his uncle replied and proceeded to speak to Andy.

"Wanna know why we call him Kit?" He asked her with way too much cheer in his voice.

"Your dad may not look it, but he has always been waaaaaaaay too curious for his own good. And on top of that he  _always_ found a way to get himself into trouble. Why when he was like three," Antok started to laugh. "At three years old, there was this alley cat–"

"Antok!" Keith hissed, his face turning red.

Keith knew  _full_ well what story his uncle wanted to tell, and it was possibly the most embarrassing story that they had danging over his head. Hell they had even  _nicknamed_  him after that tale. It had happened so long ago and Keith honestly had no memory of it, but that never, and he meant  _never_ stopped his uncle from reminding him that it had at some point happened.

"Oh calm down, it's not like she will ever retain this conversation. Or will she?" his uncle mused, but then relented when Keith continued to glare.

"I'll tell you the story when your grumpy dad isn't around, kay?" Antok winked down to Andy.

However, Andy had long since lost interest in Antok and his stories, finding the chain that secured Antok's wallet to his belt loop much more fascinating.

Antok shot Keith a  _see_  look and Keith countered with a roll of his eyes as he set the plate aside and reached for the envelope, easily opening the package and pulling out the documents.

"Since you're about to be employed full-time at the shop, we just want you to fill out all the necessary paperwork when you can, and turn it in tomorrow when you come in. The first few pages are the actual application, and the other docs are our health and dental insurance policies, life insurance, and all that fun stuff."

Keith's eyes looked over the fine print, flipping through the pages and reading some of the words.

"And all of this will cover Andy right?"

Antok didn't answer right away.

And when Keith shot him a look, Antok sighed. "That's actually something that you and this Shiro person have to talk to about, and the sooner the better. I wouldn't expect either of you to know this, considering that the whole parent thing is new for you both; but Andy will be covered by one of your insurance's first. Depending on if and where Shiro works, our insurance may be better that what they offer or it may be the opposite. If that were the case, then the primary care will fall under his insurance, and if he doesn't have insurance or if ours provides a better coverage, then the main provider will be ours and whatever isn't covered by the primary care will fall onto the second insurance."

Keith heard everything that his uncle was saying, he knew what the words meant, but placing them all in the same paragraph and trying to make sense of them was proving to be a feat that he was finding himself incapable of completing right there and then.

"Take a deep breath, Kit. I know it's a lot to take in." Antok encouraged and gave Keith a benign smile.

"So... It's like the father thing? She can only get the majority of one of our lives?" Keith's tone was sour.

"Hey now, don't think about it that way." Antok soothed. "It isn't like that, this isn't something that's meant to divide parents at all. This is more for the health of the child and what will be best for them. A couple can be married and have jobs and they'll still have the same issue. It all really amounts to which health insurance has the best family policy. And if that happens to be the case with you and this guy, then you both need to pick the better provider for Andy, do you understand Keith?"

Keith chewed on his bottom lip as he tried to piece together the bits of information that his uncle was giving him.

"I think I do?" Keith said slowly and looked back to the papers that were in his hands.

"So it's kind of like how you can't have more than two internet providers right?"

"Sorta." his uncle smiled, "It's a tad more complicated than that. You can have more than one insurance for sure, but only one of them can be the primary. What I'm saying is talk to this guy, today if you can and go through the health insurance thing, dental too. The life insurance policy can be signed without him."

"Life insurance?" Keith cocked an eyebrow at his uncle, who only held up his hand, fork still held within his fingers.

"It's standard protocol for some business and it's a little insurance for when, heaven forbid, something happened to you. Your old man for instance had one and that helped pay off some of your tuition costs, 'member?"

Keith nodded slowly, he did. Whatever his dad's life had amounted to back then had been put towards his education and after that Keith hadn't owned a cent his father had worked so hard for. Everything his father was was now invested in Keith's dream career.

"These papers." Antok pulled Keith back to the present, "guarantee your beneficiary 25 grand should you pass. You can name anyone you want to, just know that if you name Andy, she will not receive the money until she is of legal age."

Keith nodded slowly. He would like to vehemothly renounce the notion that he would let anything at all come between him and his little girl. Unfortunately, Keith knew better than most anyone that things happened and that sometimes there was no way of preventing them.

"I will make her the sole benefactor." Keith didn't need to debate that. "And I will fill out all of the other things too, after I talk to Shiro." Keith exhaled a sigh. "Guess I should call him now and see if he's free or something."

"You do that, Kit" Antok smiled and just like that all of his attention was diverted back to Andy, coaxing her to engage in conversation with him, even if it was all one sided.

"Right. I'll be right back." Keith gathered the now empty plates and headed off to the kitchen to drop them off into the sink.

Back at his seat Keith pulled the phone out of his pocket and unlocked the home screen, he pulled up Shiro's number and stared at the unfamiliar area code and the even more alien name that was displayed.

Keith hadn't meant to stare at the number for so long, but it had apparently been long enough for his phone to give up on him and lock the screen again.

Huffing, Keith unlocked it again, only jump when his phone buzzed in his hand.

_Lance._  His phone helpfully announced, the small animated phone dancing on his screen underneath the name.

Keith looked to where Andy and Antok were playing peek-a-boo and the smile he gained followed him all the way to the balcony.

Safely away from Andy's adorable laughter, Keith answered his phone.

"Aye,  _Bello_ you're alive, what happened to you yesterday? Didn't even call me to wish me a good night." Lance immediately yelled in Keith's ear, much to his annoyance.

"Sorry, I got busy." Keith muttured waving to Andy when Antok lifted her hand to make her wave at him past the glass door.

"So busy that you couldn't even send me a text?" Lance asked and  _tsk'd_  on the other end of the phone. "You wound me Kogane, you really do. So what's up on your end what's keeping ya so busy huh?"

"It's–" Keith didn't want to say it was  _nothing_  because Andy was a pretty big  _someone_  in his life now. "I just didn't get a chance to call... I was reading." It was a lame excuse even for Keith, but it was as close to the truth as Keith was going to give. Lance seemed to let it go as he began to rattle off what he had been up to since they last spoke.

"The fish here is pretty good, but man what I wouldn't give for one of  _mama's_  shrimp  _paella._  Speaking of how was my  _Ropa Vieja_? Did you love it?~"

It was on the tip of Keith's tongue to give a casually indifferent response, but another look at Andy made him relent. "Yeah. You really outdid yourself on that one. Thank you Lance."

"Woah." Lance's gasp was loud in Keith's ear. "Did you hear that babe?!  _Keith,_  Mr. Moody-pants actually gave  _me_  a compliment!"

Keith heard Allura's laughter through the phone and rolled his eyes. "Enjoy it while you can Rivera."

"You must really miss me." Keith could already see Lance wiping away a stray tear. "We should definitely vacation more if it makes Keith  _this_  nice."

"You're pushing your luck Lance." Keith warned and Lance laughed.

"Okay okay, just wanted to see how you were doing, but I'm serious alright? Call me tonight or I will flood your phone. Allura and I have a date with the limbo stick now so I'll talk to you later.  _Adios Bello!."_

"Bye, have fun you two."

The call was ended and Keith returned to his living room, but not before sending Shiro a text message.

_We need to talk, Call me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, Shiro has depression and postpartum is a thing in men guys, they have feelings too. Also, interestingly enough it can happen to adoptive parents too.  
> And fucking hell I love Antok okay? Fite me lol.  
> Anyone wanna fuel the next chapter after the post-season7 feels?  
> I'mma be ambitious tho and ask for 7 comments for the next one because season 7?? OTL
> 
> See you guys on the other side of Season 7! Have a great weekend!! Till next time. ♥


	10. Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surprise?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry long note ahead. But first off pls read this warning: **Fic now includes Shirogane-cest [Shi-cest? Shiro-cest?]**  
>  ~~Also I survived Season 7 and am happy to say I love them all T^T/~~  
>  Okay, now that we have that out of the way, I would like to say that I had NOT anticipated this. Ryou was never supposed to have such a huge role, but I am to week to push against him. I joked with a friend that I could ship Ryou and Shiro here because they have such a sweet bond scene and well what's stopping me?  
> So here we are.
> 
> Enjoy!~
> 
> P.S. Shoutouts at the bottom!~

_Call me._

The words from Keith's text revolved within Shiro's head over and over again as a constant reminder that he had an obligation to attend to.

Shiro had received the message over an hour ago, almost two. And still, Shiro was still unwilling to send a call Keith's way.

It wasn't that Shiro was deliberately ignoring Keith and his text, Shiro  _knew_ that he had to face whatever it was and brave whatever call Keith wanted from him. But Shiro just couldn't find the energy to do so just yet.

He was avoiding it.

Shiro knew what he was doing and that his actions would not score him any brownie points with Keith, and further hurt his image for Keith. But still, Shiro could not find it in himself to make the call. Shiro had been dropped off by Michael a little over half an hour ago and had headed straight to the shower. After he was done with that, Shiro had flopped himself onto his bed and that was where he was currently. Shiro's chest rose and fell with every breath he took, but he wasn't asleep or resting at all, he was just… lying there; forced to stare up at the stucco decorated ceiling while the crushing weight of self-disappointment weighed him down.

Shiro was numb again, the emotions that he had managed to tap into during his session had abandoned him on the way home, lost somewhere in the bustle of the city. This was normal though, according to Dr. Smythe who had assured Shiro that he had done great that morning. Shiro believed the opposite was true though, after all of the talking, all of the sharing, and the exhausted topic of Andy's sudden existence seemed to just sap everything out of Shiro. His session had taken more out of Shiro than he had thought possible.

Shiro was so  _so_ tired of everything and of himself, all he wanted to do was lay down and sleep for as long as he could. But sleep, it seemed, did not want to give him a helping hand and release him from consciousness.

So, Shiro was stuck with his own thoughts as company. Some of them encouraging him while others poked at his insecurities and dragged him another ledge down towards his demons.

Off to the side, Shiro's phone pinged from it's spot on his dresser.

_Another message._ Shiro thought distantly, recognizing the particular chime.  _I wonder if Keith's tired of waiting for me to call him._

Would he be above spamming Shiro until he called the other man back? Something told Shiro that Keith was not, if the protective passion had been anything to go by, then Keith would not take Shiro's silence very well. Shiro bet Keith would hold no reservations in sending him messages until Shiro's phone literally blew up..

Another ten minutes passed and another ping rang out through the room.

Shiro made no move to reach for his phone. Some indiscernible time later his phone began to ring.

It was no longer a message, but a call.

However, it wasn't just any call. The melodious ringtone that suddenly rose to challenge the silence around Shiro was one chosen specifically for his twin. It was only because of the unique ring that Shiro knew it was Ryou was calling him and not Keith as he had feared.

Shiro's body felt heavy too heavy for his bones to support as he rolled onto his side and took the incessant device into his hand. His brother's smiling picture decorated the screen with two small icons asking if he wanted to swipe to answer the call, or to decline it.

Knowing that declining the call would not only hurt his brothers feelings but would also make Ryou worry very much for his older brother, Shiro answered.

"Hey,  _niichan_." Shiro cringed at his pathetic excuse of a greeting.

"Hey Tashi." Ryou's tone was cautious, but Shiro could hear the small hint of relief behind the words. "Just wanted to see if you were back home and if you wanted to head up to Dibazaal today, think you're feeling up for it?"

Shiro didn't respond right away, taking a few seconds to gather his thoughts on the question he was asked.

"I'm here, but I... don't think I can handle it today." the severe lack of emotion in his voice was not in the least lost to Shiro.

"Okay." Ryou said carefully. "Mind opening the door for me? I kinda lost my key in one of these bags and as much as I would love to unpack everything in your driveway, I would rather not."

Shiro knew that his brother was trying to get a chuckle out of him, but he just couldn't manage one at the moment. Suppressing a sigh Shiro stared longingly at the ceiling above him. "Yeah, 'course. I'll be right there."

"Great, cuz I really didn't want to unpack everything out here, you're an angel Taka- _nii_."

The call was ended on both sides and Shiro dragged himself out of bed and headed down the hall to the door, where sure enough his twin was on the other side, a bag tote bag filled to the brim with his supermarket haul in one hand and and overstuffed duffle bag in the other.

Shiro raised a brow in question and Ryou shrugged a shoulder, "I don't want to stay at the dorms, finals week is in like two weeks and everyone's getting antsy. Normally I'd be with them, but with Slav gone I'm pretty much final-less. Mind if I crash with you?"

"You say that like I could actually turn you away." Shiro manages a ghost of a smile before relieving his brother of the bag and heading back into the house to drop it in his room.

As Shiro moved down the hallway, he paused at the doorway of his spare room. The bed he had always kept there for when Matt and Katie visited was still there, pushed off to the side and against the wall to make room for all the other things that now crowded the room. The boxes of baby essentials were at the foot of the bed, some opened and others still sealed shut and waiting to reveal the shiny and new thing inside. Across the room, the assembled crib stood proudly near the window ready to use. Next to that was a baby changing station adorned with a lavender blanket and an array of diaper changing items. On the floor there were some small toys and many other things some online self help website had told Shiro he would need for a growing child.

All of it was untouched. And a heart sinking thought crossed Shiro's mind.  _Would Andy ever get to see this?_

Tears gathered unbiddenly in Shiro's eyes as he  _really_ took in the scene before him.

Andy was supposed to be there. Shiro was supposed to bring her home and he was supposed to show her this room, his house, his love, his  _everything_. Shiro had meant to share all of his life with Andromeda, he had wanted to hold her and tell her how much he loved her and that she meant the world and more; the whole universe to him. Shiro was supposed to be  _there_  for her, he was supposed to be her father! And instead he was miles away from her, with an empty room and an unwilling heart. It wasn't Andy's fault that he was behaving as he was, she was not supposed to suffer because he was fucked up and had relapsed into his depression. And yet, that was exactly what was happening. Shiro was letting it happen.

"Takashi?"

Shiro hadn't jumped, even though his brother's quiet call had surprised him. Shiro had given no outward reaction to his brother's sudden presence. Perhaps that may have been a louder statement than his lack of reaction.

Ryou was there not long after his call. His brother's arms gently cradling Shiro and pulling him against Ryou's slimmer body.

Shiro didn't deny this comfort, quite the opposite really. Shiro needed the contact his twin provided him, he longed for the assurance that he wasn't alone and that his brother was there. Shiro desperately needed someone to lean on, someone who could be strong for him when he himself could not. And the fact that his brother was there, had somehow figured out that Shiro was in need of so much, it broke something inside of Shiro. Or maybe it mended something deep within Shiro that he wasn't even aware had needed some repair. Shiro really wasn't sure which one it was, but he was just happy to feel  _something._

Anything was better than the cold numbness that had been his constant companion over the last several days. Shiro's body trembled against Ryou as emotions seemed to burst into his body all too once and far too fast. Shiro clung onto Ryou, his hands clawing at his brother's shirt as he sobbed against him. Grief mixed in with gratitude, while fear danced with hope, and apathy tentatively reached out to love.

All the while, Ryou was there, hands gently rubbing small circles against Shiro's back and feather soft kisses being pressed upon the crown of Shiro's head, his temple, anywhere his brother could reach. The twins stood like that for as long as Shiro needed, Ryou whispering encouragements and Shiro crying out his grief and self loathing into his brother's chest.

"Everything will be fine Takashi, I promise." Ryou whispered as he gently nuzzled his cheek over the top of his brother's head. It took Shiro a while, but once he was able to control his hiccuping breaths, he allowed his little brother to steer him back to the couch.

They didn't say anything for a long while, they just sat there in silence with Shiro tucked into Ryou's side as the younger of the two comforted the older with as many soft reassurances and gentle affections as Shiro needed.

"Thank you." Shiro broke the silence after some time and pressed a kiss to Ryou's throat right above is steady heartbeat.

"There's nothing to thank." Ryou smiled down to Shiro, lovingly caressing Shiro's hair away from his eyes. "But you know you're always welcome,  _Aniki"_

Shiro closed his eyes at the tender gesture and sighed. "Just let me thank you,  _niichan_."

Ryou chuckled, his chest rumbling under Shiro. "I wasn't refusing your thanks, just letting you know I'm here for you, always."

"I love you, Ryou."

Ryou bent to press a feather light kiss to Shiro's cheek. "As I you, Takashi. Now let's get some food in you. I'm making my world famous chicken Alfredo tonight and garlic knots so I hope you're hungry."

When Shiro didn't automatically jump to the bait of his favorite dish, his twin frowned. "C'mon Tashi, don't give me that look, you have to eat. Even just a little and then after that we can binge watch all your favorites until bedtime and give Keith a call before turning in."

Shiro was sure that Ryou didn't miss the grimace on his face, but thankfully Ryou didn't comment on it just yet, choosing instead to untangle himself from Shiro after one last kiss and headed towards the kitchen. Shiro followed after Ryou, not really wanting to be alone with his thoughts again.

Ryou shot Shiro a smile as he wrapped an apron around his middle and began unpacking the tote.

" _I ran into Colleen at the market."_ Ryou smiled, his voice naturally slipping into Japanese. " _She invited us over on the 26th for Matt's welcome home and graduation party. I told her I was going to talk to you about it. Don't know if you'd feel up for it, but it could give us a great opportunity to introduce Andy to them. Don't you think?"_

Shiro watched as Ryou set the water to boil and then started to gather the ingredients he would need for the dough of the bread.  _"It would."_ Shiro agreed matching his brother's language.

" _Colleen would love her, and Sam too. I also have no doubts Katie and Matt would warm up to her after they finished going over the scientifics of how she came to be."_ Ryou continued.

Shiro smiled at the thought, though his smile was still not entirely warmed yet.  _"I bet they would all be thrilled, and I would love her to know her other family..."_

"But?"

Ryou prompted.

_"But don't forget that Andy's other father may have some choice words to say about this."_ Shiro reminded him.

Ryou waved a flour coated hand dismissively at Shiro, _"Don't worry so much about him Tashi, the little walk Thace and I took yesterday wasn't just about sandwiches. Though, it was admittedly the greater purpose of it. We also came to an understanding. Thace knows that Keith can be a little_ intense _, he didn't really divulge why. I also didn't ask. But he agreed that as much as he would like to see his nephew happy, he doesn't like the idea of us being as out of the picture as it is."_

Shiro hummed.  _"And you honestly think that they can change his mind?"_

At that Ryou chuckled. _"We have two whole weeks to get him warmed up to the idea, and I'm sure we can ask Thace for help if we so need it. But let us ask first okay?"_

Shiro nodded. _"Okay."_

_"Good, now want to tell me how your day was?"_

Shiro bit back a sigh and shrugged his shoulders. _"Alright. Dr. Smythe says I have fallen back into depression. I know, shocker, right? Anyway, he put me back on some medication, I stopped by the pharmacist on the way home so don't worry about that."_

Ryou kneaded the dough silently for a few minutes.  _"I'm really proud of you Takashi, I know it wasn't easy for you to schedule the appointment, much less go to it. But I really am proud of you."_

Shiro bit the inside of his cheek contemplating his words before daring to speak them aloud. _"Ryou? Have you ever heard of postpartum depression?"_

His brother paused for a moment before continuing _. "We touched the subject back in Psych. Mothers and fathers of children anywhere from newborns to toddlers are diagnosed with a hormone imbalance that causes them depression. Originally this sort of illness was thought to only affect women who had just borne children, but more recent studies are looking into the effects it has on new fathers..."_ Ryou trailed off and snapped his head up to look at Shiro.

The expression his twin was giving Shiro might have been comical under different circumstances, but in that moment Shiro couldn't find any humor in the way he was being studied. Dawning realization settled on Ryou's face as he worked his mouth to close firmly.

_"That... actually makes sense!"_ Ryou breathed after a moment. _"I hadn't even considered that possibility, I thought that you had just fallen back into a slump because of something else. But yeah, I remember the professor mentioning that postpartum could occur in any given situation involving a child, even in adoptive parents, so your situation should honestly have no effect on the outcome."_

_"Dr. Smythe mentioned something along those lines too."_ Shiro agreed and pushed his white tuft of hair back from his face. _"The pills he prescribed are supposed to help regulate my hormones, and he says that he projects a three week to five months before I am deemed better... so there is hope..."_

The smile that Ryou was sending in Shiro's direction was almost too bright. Happiness radiated off of the younger sibling as he all but forgot what he was doing and crossed the kitchen to envelop his brother into a rib crushing hug.

_"This is amazing news Aniki! I'm_ so  _happy for you, I have no doubt in my mind that you will be better in no time, and don't worry I will be here for you every step of the way okay? No matter what you can count on me Tashi, anything you need."_

Shiro couldn't deny the smile that his brother infected him with as warmth spread from his heart to the rest of his soul, momentarily banishing the freezing numbness.

_"Thank you."_ was all Shiro could manage through the lump of his throat as he greedily soaked up the love and comfort that was radiating off of his twin. Perhaps Shiro would have been embarrassed that he was once again in tears, but whatever reservations he could have were quickly eradicated by the happiness and elation that trickled into him from his twin as the two shared a much more meaningful gesture.

Shiro clung to that beautiful warmth as tightly as he was holding onto Ryou. And he would have remained there for much longer too, if it wasn't for the sudden hiss that tore them apart.

A curse slipped out of Ryou's lips as he let go of Shiro and raced over to the stove, where the pot was overflowing with boiling water and dripping onto the open flame.

_"I should have been keeping an eye on that."_ Ryou chuckled, wiping at his teary eyes while still sporting that radiant smile of his.

Shiro smiled and swiped at his eyes as well before asking what he could do to help his brother.

_"You have the better arm strength here Shiro-nii, get to kneading and I'll get started on the Alfredo sauce."_

_"Yes sir."_ Shiro mock saluted and after washing his hands got to work on the dough.

Ryou rolled his eyes, but the smile he wore spoke of the relief he must be experiencing.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with the twins talking about lighter topics, occasionally switching from their native tongue to English. Sometimes even mixing both of the languages within the same sentence because, did they really need an explanation for it?

After the food cooled down and a playlist of movies was picked, the two twins made a nest on Shiro's couch where they snuggled against one another and pressed play.

Shiro hadn't known that he had been in desperate need for such a simple afternoon and evening. His guilt still sat heavy at the pit of his stomach, but he could not deny that he was grateful for the small relief and breathing room that their time together provided.

"I need to call Keith." Shiro said while he and Ryou were debating on which movie to watch next.

His brother hummed, prompting Shiro to say what was on his mind.

"He sent me a text earlier in the day… maybe another few after that, but I think I should call him back."

"I'll be right here if you need me."

Shiro smiled, "I know." he whispered and untangled himself from Ryou, collecting the long forgotten dishes and dumping them in the kitchen before getting his phone where he had abandoned it earlier.

Unlocking the screen, Shiro took note of the few texts he had received during the day. Surprisingly enough, however, there were no new ones from Keith.

Two were from Ryou.

Niichan, Received: 11:48  _Want anything specific for dinner?_

Niichan, Received: 12:05  _I'll just make an executive decision then, see you at home_

Another three were from Matt.

Matt, Received: 1:20  _Yo stranger, how are things?_

Matt, Received: 2:15  _Mom told me she ran into Ryou earlier at the supermarket, did he tell you I'm coming home soon? Man I have so much to tell you ;3c_

Matt, Received: 2:16  _Shiro love me pls! T^T/_

Shiro padded back to the living room where he reclaimed his spot against Ryou and slotted himself under Ryou's chin when his brother wrapped his arms around Shiro's waist and pulled him against his chest.

"Feeling okay?" Ryou murmured over him.

Shiro would have nodded if he had enough room to do so, but instead hummed in response. "Mm."

Shiro felt Ryou shift and settle his cheek against the top of Shiro's head. "I can call him back for you if you need me to."

"No, it's alright. I got this, I just…" Shiro took a deep breath and pressed the call button.

As the dial icon came on, Shiro switched the setting to speaker and waited for the dial tone to start. Two rings was all it took before the phone was answered on the other end.

"Shiro?" Keith's voice was slightly deeper over the phone.

"Um, yeah." Shiro answered back. "It's me. Hi Keith… you wanted to talk about something?"

"That is what the text said." Keith said rather dryly and sighed. "But yeah, I do. I'm going to start working tomorrow and I need to get your details for a few things, as well as talk about what Andy's medical and dental plan will be. Are you free right now?"

* * *

Keith was rocking the car seat with his foot as he finished up talking to Shiro.

It had taken a little longer than he had expected, but thankfully everything was settled for the meantime. Keith and Shiro collectively agreed that even though the plan Keith had with his uncles, it was still not as good as what the Garrison offered. Andy would be signed up with Shiro's insurance and dental and Keith had to swallow back any protests.

"See you tomorrow, Keith." Shiro said after a pause between them.

"Yeah." Keith replied, "Bye."

And with that, he ended the call, setting his phone aside and signing the last form he needed to.

"Now was that so hard?" Thace asked from across the table.

Keith frowned, "I mean he could have called earlier in the day, it's almost nine. I still think you should have let me call him first or send him a few more messages. If this is what he deems an appropriate response time, then he seriously needs to rethink things. What if something was wrong with Andy?"

"But she is fine." Antok smiled, "If the opposite was true then we'd be with you."

Kolivan and Thace nodded to support Antok's claims and Keith sent his gaze upwards. "I still don't like this. Or him. I mean what the hell is his problem anyway. What was so important that he couldn't even text back?"

"Easy there, Kit" Thace chided. "We talked about this already. This is a huge adjustment, for  _both_ of you. Maybe he had to put a few things in order as well? And keep in mind that we do not know his life or his schedule. He may have had a prior engagement."

"Give him some time." Kolivan added and Keith wrinkled his nose in distaste.

"Not like I have any other choice." he muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

His uncles shared a glance and Keith relented, "I'm trying okay. But it's hard."

Thace got up and ruffled Keith's hair. "We know, Kit. We know you are, but not everyone will react the same way in these sort of situations. And we are so proud to know that you're taking all of this in stride. But be patient with people okay?"

Keith puffed out his cheeks before nodding, "Okay."

"Good." Thace beamed at Keith, while Antok took a stand along with Kolivan.

"I think we better let you get as much rest as we can, remember to get up bright and early." Kolivan rumbled out as he stretched his hands over his head.

"Call us if you need anything, okay?" Antok added as he slipped past Thace to give Keith a hug.

"Of course." Keith answered and returned the gesture.

"And you're sure you're okay with looking after Andy on your day off?" Keith asked Thace.

"Of course I am, wouldn't have volunteered if I wasn't sure. I'll be here tomorrow morning to relieve you of your fatherly duties." His uncle nodded with a wink.

Keith smiled and after another round of hugs and goodbyes his uncles left for the night, leaving Keith and Andy alone for the first time since that morning.

Keith sat back down at the table and slid a hand through his damp hair. He had been able to catch a shower while his uncles were around, after they had assembled the baby swing, the walker, the high chair and a few other things Thace and Kolivan had bought for Andy. Keith had tried to refuse them, but they had insisted that their gifts were just severely belated shower gifts. In the end, his protests fell on deaf ears and Keith had been outnumbered, three to one.

"I wonder what Lance will think of all this." Keith wondered as he looked at their suddenly cramped apartment.

No sooner had Keith breathed out that sentence when his phone buzzed on the table.  _Lance_  clearly displayed.

Talk about timing, Keith mused and after a careful glance down at Andy, he answered the call.

"Hey, I was just thinking about you, everything alright?"

When Lance didn't answer right away, Keith tried again. "Lance?"

"Oh my god!" the screech took Keith by surprise. "Keith! Oh man I'm good yes I am, oh my god!" Lance laughed on the other end of the phone. "Did you hear that Allura?  _Keith_  said he was thinking of me! We seriously have to take more vacations I'm telling you."

Allura chuckled while Keith sent his gaze heavenwards. "Very funny. But yeah, I was just about to call you, didn't want to wake up with over one hundred messages in my inbox."

"You did good." Lance, Keith was sure, was still smiling from ear to ear. "And here I thought you forgot about us. But anyway guess what?"

"Hm?" Keith asked nonverbally.

"C'mon man one guess won't kill ya."

"Didn't say it would, just not sure what I'm supposed to guess at." Keith shrugged.

"You know what, fine. I'll just take the win from you thinking of me earlier and inform you that you are now speaking to the number one limbo-er in the universe. Allura and I won a contest we didn't even know they were hosting." Lance declared.

Keith's eyebrows rose, yeah he never would have guessed that. "Wow, congrats you two."

That was certainly some news. Keith's eyes travelled down to Andy, and Keith wondered if Lance would be able to guess his news in return.

"Keith?"

Keith jolted, "Sorry, what?"

Lance hummed, though didn't seem to think much of it. "I was just asking if you're okay over there?"

"Yeah, great." Keith smiled despite himself, he wasn't sure if Lance would be able to guess what was happening on Keith's end, but he was certain that Lance, like his uncles, would also fall in love with Andy.

"I've got a surprise for you too when you get home"

"Oh now I'm interested, what is it?" Lance asked clearly excited.

"If I told you, then it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?" Keith asked and got a groan in return. "Good night Lance, night Allura."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To any of those still willing to go on this trip of a fic with me, thank you from the bottom of my heart ♥  
> Shiro and Ryou, again, were not supposed to do this, but I am weak for Shirocest and them both loving Keith is something I very much look forward to. So yeaaaaah anyone else want to join me and my debauchery descent into Shiro/Ryou/Keith??  
> Look, I work on whims, the story won't change much tbh the added love is just that, more love for Shiro that wont come between him and Keith.  
> Anywho, onto the shout outs!!  
> Thank you to all of those who continue to support this fic and to all of you who commented, reading them throughout the week was like the highlight of it all T^T/  
> and o man o man!! Miss Kuroneko, you hit my favorite Scene in the last chapter!!! The nickname origin story will definitely be revealed, I gotchu, just not quite yet. Soon, at some point tho.  
> Anywho! Till next time!~ I may upload a new story before the next chapter of this ^^ we shall see.
> 
> I LOVE YOU ALL, TYSM AGAIN FOR YOUR SUPPORT! ♥


	11. Co-parents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time for the signing has come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aha an update!  
> First of all thank you so much to the wonderful people who read/kudo'ed/and commented in the last chapter ^^ It really means alot to know that you guys are enjoying this AU as much as I am having fun writing it.  
> Also, I just want to make a quick note that the progress IS slow, I know that and I'm kinda sorry for it? I know you guys are getting frustrated with not only Keith but also Shiro, but please realize that within the story itself, only three days have passed by the end of this chapter. Shiro is not going to drink some pills and be his normal non-depressed self in three seconds, thats the reality of it.  
> As for Keith, he and Shiro just met and even in canon, Keith didn't warm up to him until after Shiro made his "I'll never give up on you" Promise, but point is Keith is reluctant to trust Shiro because Shiro is [in Keith's eyes] being standoff-ish towards someone he already loves with all of his heart, scorn her and you get Keith's wrath. Dont tell me that isn't conon Keith >>  
> Anywho enough of my note/rant pls enjoy !~ oh and an announcement at the bottom <3

Even though Keith had made absolutely sure to sleep at an appropriate time he still missed enough hours of sleep to guarantee him bags under his bags.

Keith had fed and changed Andy four times that night and at some point she had decided that sleep was not something she wanted, so Keith had to entertain her with a sleepy game of "where's the baby" for half an hour before he got her to yawn again.

The last time he put her back to sleep was at five thirty something in the morning. Keith gave up on sleep and went straight towards the coffee pot where he brewed himself a fresh batch.

That was how Thace found Keith about and hour later. With a mug of sweetened coffee in his hands and a tired smile.

"Woah, you look like death, Kit. How much sleep did you manage to get?"

"Enough." Keith deadpanned though a yawn, looping his arms into the backpack that carried a few things he thought he would need throughout the day including a meal from Lance.

"I look worse than I feel, honestly. I just set her back to bed an hour or so again so you should be good for another one or two? Formula's on the kitchen counter and I washed used the bottles before you got here." Keith said pointing to the kitchen where the bottles were.

"I see you've left me with next to nothing to do then." Thace chuckled and Keith flushed.

"She likes the swing, and it mostly gets her to sleep." Keith rubbed tiredly at his eye. "But what she really likes is when you talk her to sleep. I read her a bedtime story I found online about a little red lion cub who could only sleep when the stars were out. It's pretty short but I think you'd like it."

"Link it to me and I'll check it out later." Thace smiled and then gave Keith a pointed look when he didn't make a move towards the open door.

When Keith didn't answer to the silent question, Thace's face lit up in further amusement as he was forced to voice it. "Isn't there somewhere you need to be?"

Keith's lips formed a pout before he could stop it from forming, the nod he gave his uncle was as reluctant as they came. But before stepping away he leaned in to give his uncle a hug.

"Thank you for looking after her, Thace."

His uncle didn't hesitate to return the embrace but he did let go quicker than usual. "Anytime, now get going before morning traffic starts getting really bad."

The farther away Keith raced down the streets on Red, the more his heart was tugged in the opposite direction yearning to be back home. Distantly he wondered if that feeling would ever change, and if it did would it get stronger or fainter over time.

After turning in the paperwork he was told to fill out the day prior and given a state mandated orientation of the shop and it's safety rules–as if he hadn't been raised there half of his life–Keith was given his first few tasks of the day.

"And don't forget to smile, we want people to come back." Antok reminded Keith before he left him with Acxa at the front counter.

The two worked in relative silence before Acxa finally broke it. "How is it?"

Keith rose and lowered his shoulder in a shrug while keying in his current invoice into the spreadsheet. "Pretty boring. But can't really complain you know?"

Acxa raised a brow at that. "Boring? I thought that even you would have found raising a child at least a little difficult."

What should have been an $185 invoice was entered as $485 when Keith miss-keyed the number and looked to Acxa. He wasn't really sure how to respond to that. It wasn't like he was ever going to not tell her, Keith wasn't going to hide his daughter from his family or the rest of the world but that did not mean that he was expecting others to know about her outside of his terms.

In all honestly, though, Keith really was giving his uncles too much credit if he thought that they would keep the news of Andy's arrival into their family to themselves.

"I mean I have no experience in it, but I think the ride has so far been pretty easy?" Keith shrugged again and fixed his mistake on the computer. "She's not that fussy when she isn't hungry or sleepy and she smiles a lot so I think we're getting along pretty well."

Acxa nodded and the two foster siblings fell into silence for the remainder of their morning.

The day was slow for the most part, and Keith couldn't really rule out the very real possibility that he may have nodded off for a few minutes in the bathroom.

By the time lunch break rolled around Keith was anxious to get to his phone and call home, but before he could dial his uncle, a different call came in.

Keith raised an eyebrow subconsciously in question and answered the call. "Hello?"

A second ticked by. Keith tried again, "Hello?"

Unease started to bubble in the pit of Keith's stomach, but before it could become anything else, the line was disconnected and Keith was left looking at the illuminated screen of his phone.  _Unknown Caller._

Keith couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was definitely something to that call that didn't sit well with him.

Before he could ponder too much on it, however, his phone buzzed again and a new picture message was received from Thace. Keith was smiling before he even opened the message.

The picture he received was one of Andy, smiling in the swing they had assembled the night before with arms wide spread as if she was waiting for a hug. Thace had even gone as far as to dress her up in a pale pink dress detailed with white flowers along the bodice, while up on her head he hair styled her hair in two twin pigtails that gave the amusing illusion of cute little ink fountains spurts.

Keith made sure to save the picture before promptly making it his background wallpaper, moving a few icons around his screen so that he had a full view of his daughter's face.

Only after that one important task was done, did Keith call his uncle to check in on their day.

* * *

Shiro was startled back to himself when the alarm blared in his ears and the monitor in front of his eyes flashed red with bold caps reading  _F-A-I-L._

Once again he had failed to finish the mission. Shrio grimaced and pulled the helmet off of his head only to find Iverson towering over him.

The commander sighed as his eye went from the helmet, to the mission file on the monitor and lastly to his once pupil. "I thought you were beginning to get past this, Takashi."

Shiro set the simulator helmet down in order to stall for a few more seconds.

"There was something I wanted to replay." Shiro answered. "I thought that I had finally found…" he shook his head.

Iverson made a noise of understanding. "The past cannot be changed, no matter how much we try. I apologize if that sounds harsh, but you can't keep doing this to yourself, son."

Shiro knew Iverson was right. But when Shiro wasn't thinking about the Kerberos Mission, then his mind was on Andy. It was a vicious cycle that even the presence of his brother couldn't keep back for too long. It was his sickness–Shiro knew–that was bringing up his restlessness and insomnia. Shiro had wandered to the simulations room in order to try to virtually rectify the mission that had changed his life forever.

Maybe if he hadn't lost control of the jet, maybe if he hadn't gotten into that accident and if they hadn't crashed in enemy territory… if they–if  _he!_

Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.  _What if!_

Shiro's mind was in an endless loop of  _what if's_  and  _but's_  and it was driving him insane.

"Would she be here?" Shiro whispered.

"I don't follow." Iverson's tone was unusually soft, but Shiro didn't bother to ponder too much on the reason why that was.

"I met my daughter. The way you said I would." Shiro ran an absent hand though his flattened forelock. "And she was the most beautiful little girl I have ever seen… but I–would she still be here if I hadn't failed this mission?"

Iverson's stoic expression cracked as the man's usually ramrod straight shoulders fell for a second.

"I do not have an answer to that, Takashi." Iverson closed his eye and took a deep breath. "And dwelling on it will not do you any favors. How is she? Taking to you okay?"

Shiro flinched inwardly, though made sure to project a smile for his mentor. "Her name is Andromeda, Andy for short. She's good too, taking this all in one stride really." Shiro hoped to leave the conversation at that, not really wanting to disclose his more personal issues to Iverson, while also not wanting to lie to the man.

"Good." Iverson nodded, "You should bring Andy around one day, let her see her dad at work." there was a pointed look in Shiro's direction.

With that, Iverson took his leave and Shiro left the simulations room, heading down the sterilized halls of the Garrison, where his class would soon be beginning.

As he was making his way there, Shiro paused at a display case. His eyes immediately drawn to a certain picture where Shiro was standing beside one of the very first jets he'd ever flown. It was the day he had graduated from the undergrad pilot program. Shiro's smile was bright, and his face was unmarred by any scars that were now branded on him. He was young back then, a foolish kid with a dream to one day touch the stars. He had been happy.

Shiro was once one of the most promising and gifted pilots known to the Garrison, he could fly any vessel given enough time to become familiar with it and it's controls. That was the reason why he was chosen to assist in the Kerberos mission, because they had been so sure that if anyone could help the souls lost there, then it would be Takashi Shirogane.

But there had been a mistake. And that mistake had led to the crash, which led to Shiro's capture. And well the rest of it was in the reports, and gone was Shiro's once bright career. But the biggest toll that was taken from Shiro was not the ability to fly, nor drive, not even his arm. Shiro had known the risks of battle, he had been prepared to lose more than just his arm when he had been dispatched.

At least that was what he had told himself. And it seemed that the universe had done its best to challenge that very same conviction. In the small span of a year, Shiro had lost nearly everything. Ryou had refused to tell Shiro the extent of his loss when he had first returned; shouldering the burden alone even as he had held Shiro in his arms.

When Shiro  _had_ gotten the news out of Ryou, he had never felt so empty, so hallow, and so utterly helpless. Shiro had never hoped to feel like that again, but it seemed that once more, luck was not on his side.

"Mr. Shirogane?" a quiet voice asked to his side and Shiro startled out of his reminiscing to look at the cadet that had paused by him.

Shiro's smile was thin, "I'm sorry, I was a little distracted." he murmured and looked away from the smiling young man. "How was your weekend, Jade?"

The girl did not look at all convinced of Shiro's smile, and probably didn't appreciate the shifting of focus onto her, but she had no choice but to answer.

Student and teacher walked the rest of the way to the classroom where Shiro soon began class and lost himself in the study of aerodynamics.

When three in the afternoon finally rolled around Shiro closed his textbook and planner. "And don't forget to read the assigned chapters. Remember that the sooner we get through the material the sooner we can start to do hands on activities. Enjoy the rest of your day, class."

"Aren't you going to stick around and help us with any questions we have on our homework today?" Jade, the student from earlier, asked.

Shiro shook his head, "I'm sorry, but I have somewhere I need to be soon. Tomorrow we can go over any questions you may have had as a class. I'll see you all tomorrow, be good okay."

Both enthusiastic and quiet murmurs of " _See you tomorrow, Mr. Shirogane"_  reached Shiro's ears before he closed the door to his classroom and walked the halls once more.

Not ten minutes later, Shiro was once again in Ryou's passenger seat, their hands linked as they drove back to Daibazaal.

* * *

Keith undid Andy's seat buckles and pulled the little girl into his arms.

"Say thank you to Uncle Thace, Andy." Keith cooed, holding up Andy's hand and waving it towards his uncle who played along.

"It was my pleasure, princess. And are you okay by yourself?" Thace asked switching his gaze over to Keith, to make absolutely sure that Keith didn't need back up.

Keith shook his head, adjusting Andy in his arms and settling her to rest against his shoulder where a small baby cloth was placed. "Na, I got this I'm just going to sign and be right back, ten minutes tops probably I just want to bring her along just in case."

His uncle hummed, but nodded. "I'll wait here for when you're done then."

"Thanks Thace." Keith flashed him a smile and walked to the elevator.

Unlike the last time he was at the building, Keith was feeling pretty confident in himself. This time around Keith knew exactly what he was walking in to and what he would gain from the meeting.

The ride to the thirteenth floor was quiet, save for the small jingle of plastic keys that Andy clutched in her hands. And when the door opened, Haxus was there once again to greet Keith.

"Welcome back, Mr. Kogane, this way please."

Keith followed after him, too giddy to get things over and done with to correct the man on using his last name when addressing him.

Haxus led Keith to the same door, though the office beyond it was much different than before. It was barely an office anymore though, giving off more of a rented space with a desk planted inside of it. The plants by the window and the door were gone, and so was the bookcase with all if the books it once homed; replaced instead with a standard moving box labeled:  _Books._

Keith raised his eyebrows at that, but didn't comment on it and instead approached the only pieces of furniture still in the room, where Ulaz was patiently waiting for him to make his way over to the desk and chairs.

"It is good to see you again, Keith." Ulaz greeted, taking Keith's hand and giving it a firm shake. "And the baby as well."

"Andromeda." Keith supplied and retrieved his hand, "But yeah, nice to see you too."

The doctor hummed, eyes roaming to his watch and then to Keith. "And Mr. Shirogane, did he give any indication that he would be arriving today?"

Keith rose and lowered his unoccupied shoulder, "Haven't spoken with him since last night. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't." Keith said bluntly and after a second of silence, he added albeit reluctantly.

"But he did seem adamant that he would, Andy and I are just early since we live closer I guess."

Ulaz nodded, "In that case, we will wait for Mr. Shirogane to arrive, please take a seat."

Keith took the proffered seat and settled Andy on his lap.

"How has the adjustment been?" Ulaz asked, and when Keith shot him a warning glare until the man rose his shoulders in a sign of appeasement, "I'm not asking for the sake of science or anything like that if that's what you're thinking. I am genuinely curious."

Keith stared at the doctor for a long moment, deciding on whether or not he was telling the truth. In the end, Keith decided Ulaz was being honest enough and answered the question. "I think she has been doing fine, I've read a few books on kids and she sleeps the right amount of hours, eats well enough… likes the swing and a few of the toys. She also seems to like the people around her, but really I haven't introduced her to many just yet."

Ulaz gave Keith a smile. "Good, I'm glad to hear this. We had a meeting with one of the other couples earlier today, and that child is also adjusting well."

Keith nodded and before they could discuss the subject further, there was a knock on the door, followed by Haxus and the Shirogane twins.

Glancing behind his chair, Keith rose an eyebrow.  _Is there nothing these guys don't do together?_

Ryou smiled in his direction and Shiro offered what Keith guessed he thought to pass off as a smile before they greeted Ulaz and took their own seats.

Andy was passed from Keith's hands and into Ryou's who greeted his niece with bright enthusiasm. Keith smiled at the sight.

Ulaz cleared his throat to get their attentions. "Right. Now that both parties are here, we can proceed to the signing. I take it that you both have thought about this at length and have come to a decision."

Keith nodded, Shiro did as well.

Ulaz pulled out not two separate files, but one instead. "I realize that you both find yourselves in a rather unusual position, you will have custody of this child from the moment you sign onwards. But you have also never met until two days ago. I need each of you to know that I have handed over your child, but I am not a mediator. I will not contact you again after this, and I ask that you do the same. How you two chose to divide the work and raising her will be entirely up to you. Do you understand."

"Yes." Keith and Shiro said in almost eerie unison.

"Good." Ulaz opened the document. "We are submitting this paperwork under the guise that you, Keith adopted Andromeda in a joint custody case in order to alleviate some of the pressures from her biological father, Mr. Shirogane. In official records, Andromeda's biological mother will have passed away in a foreign country and left custody to Mr. Shirogane, but due to circumstances outside of his control he needed help in raising her. The full story that will be given to the needed channels is in the file, feel free to look over it at your leisure. Should you accept the fabricated story and agree to the single condition that the experiment that took place in these walls will not be spoken of, then you may sign for her official custody."

Keith readily nodded while Shiro stilled next to him. The harsh inhale that then penetrated the silence around them made Keith look over to Shiro who was looking paler than usual. Ryou next to him frowned as well.

" _Aniki._ " Ryou soothed, and proceeded to talk in Japanese, one arm holding onto Andy while the other reached out to Shiro's arm, calming him from whatever plagued him.

Seconds slowly turned into minutes as the Shirogane twins murmured back and forth, until Shiro lost that haunted look in his eyes and gave a nod to Ulaz.

"I'm sorry." Shiro finally murmured, switching out of his native tongue. "I also accept these terms..." There was a pause and Shiro glanced at a confused Keith, a pained look on his face even as he apologized again. "I'm sorry for pausing the meeting, please continue."

Keith's eyes bore into Shiro's stormy gray eyes until the other looked away and a little more after that before he returned his attention to Ulaz. Keith listened to what the doctor said, a few more key things that they would have to keep in mind, and a reminder that any and all records of Andy's birth down to her doctor visits had been included in the first set of documents they were given two days ago.

As he listened though, Keith couldn't help the nagging feeling that was bothering him. There was something up with Shiro, Keith had known that the man beside him was slightly reluctant to be a father if his behavior was anything to go by, but what was that just now? His uncles had said that everyone reacted differently in these sort of situations, and Keith was willing to give Shiro  _some_  benefit of doubt, but borderline panic was not something he was expecting.

Keith didn't expect Shiro to tell him what was going on with him, why would he when they only knew the barest amount of each other? Normally Keith would abide by the his unspoken rule that no one owed him any sort of explanation for their behavior, but when his daughter was involved… Keith needed some sort of assurance that Shiro was in fact fine with everything. Ulaz himself had said that this was the point of no return, after this they were co-parents by law and by nature.

Keith's mouth opened to say just that when Thace's voice spoke in his head, " _Give him time, Kit."_

 _How much time does he need though?_  Keith quipped back mentally but relented, signing his name in the dotted line and securing his legal title of Andy's other father.

Thace's voice of course didn't answer and Shiro took the same pen Keith had to sign the document.

They were co-parents now. Keith had known that all along, ever since he had met Andy and they had been told of their involvement in her making. But the reality of it hadn't really hit Keith until that moment. Their lives were forever entwined now and there was no way they could avoid one another from that point onwards. He would have to deal with Shiro and Shiro would have to deal with him whether they liked it or not.

Everything that involved Andy would need to be discussed between them and any plans they had in the future would need to be shared. Keith wasn't alone in this, and yet it truly felt like he was.

Ulaz handed Shiro the paperwork and advised them to make a copy of them for Keith to keep at home. The doctor wished them a good rest of their day and a happy life with their child. Keith thanked the man, so did the twins. And they took their leave of Quintessence Labs for the last time.

* * *

Hours later Shiro was once again wrapped up in Ryou's arms, pressed against his chest as the two laid on their bed.

" _Want to let me know what's on your mind, Aniki?"_  Ryou murmured after the prolonged silence had taken root.

Shrio closed his eyes, as if that could somehow stall for time.

" _I have a lot in there."_ he answered honestly.

Ryou hummed. " _It's fine, no rush._   _I have all the time in the world."_

" _Ulaz's fabricated story,"_ Shiro held tighter onto Ryou's hand with his flesh one.  _"It just hit too close to home. It was as if the doctor knew of what happened during Kerberos, what happened after. If I'm a mess now, I was a bigger mess back then… if Andy would have shown up back then I would have definitely been unable to take care of her. Even if I hadn't relinquished my parental rights I'm sure they would have been taken away back then."_

It was Ryou's turn to be quiet for a few moments, but soon a sigh was released into Shiro's hair. " _Tashi."_ his younger brother started. " _Please don't torture yourself with what could have happened. If you had been told of Andy before, when you came back guess what?_ I  _would have filed for legal custody if anyone tried anything. If anyone tries anything now, I will contest it for you, for her, and for us. I wouldn't have let that regret take place in your heart."_

Shiro didn't have to wonder why his brother would make such a claim. Shiro knew that Ryou was speaking the truth because had the roles been switched, he would be making the same declaration. It just escaped Shiro sometimes that he was never alone, even when he believed that he was, Ryou was there to remind him that the opposite was true. Shiro could always count on Ryou to be there for him.

" _Thank you, Ryou."_  Shiro whispered and shifted within his brother's hold in order to come face to face with him. "Thank you for everything."

Ryou's gray eyes softened as he gazed down at Shiro. "Of course Takashi, always… and remember, family doesn't thank one another."

"Just let me be grateful to have you here." Shiro meant to sound even the smallest bit chisting, but his words came out more like a pout, causing Ryou to chuckle.

"Of course,  _Taka-nii."_  Ryou was still sporting that smile of his as he closed the distance between his face and Shiro's to press soft kisses onto his twin's forehead, smoothing away the worry he had seen there earlier.

The featherlight kisses then moved onto his temple, over his eyelids, his cheekbones, his cheeks, along his jaw, and finally to the corner of Shiro's mouth.

Shiro made a noise in the back of his throat when Ryou didn't go further than the tender kiss and took the initiative. Shiro closed the miniscule space between his and Ryou's lips, melding them together as he pressed ever closer to the warm solid form of his twin as their legs slipped in between the other's tangling comfortably.

Ryou smiled into the kiss and slipped an arm around Shiro, holding him as their lips moved against one another in a slow and warming kiss. Shiro could feel the tenderness and love that Ryou was pouring into the intimate act, greedily taking everything that his brother could offer him through the contact until Ryou pulled away and smiled at him once again.

"I missed seeing the light in your eyes, Shiro." he whispered and tucked his chin over Shiro's head.

Shiro smiled, "I think… I'm going to ask Keith to have Andy over this weekend."

Shiro didn't need to see Ryou to know that the other was smiling, he just  _knew._  "That sounds like a great idea,  _Aniki._ "

Shiro hummed, slipping his eyes closed as Ryou gently ran a hand down his spine soothingly, melting into the affectionate touch. "Tashi?"

" _Hai_?"

"I'm so proud of you, my sweet  _Aniki."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay yay we made it to the end of day three!  
> The next chapter will be a small time skip/hop into next week with Lance's return and some development on Shiro.  
> BUT I have to tell you all that I signed up to an event where I want to have at least half of a story done by Sep. 14th, so my focus will be on that and Baby Daddy will be taking somewhat of a back seat for a few weeks.  
> I cant wait to share that story with the fandom :D like really it's gonna have Keith and Shiro and [insert spoilers here]  
> Lol but enough of that, please let me know your thoughts on the chapter to tie me over until the next update?
> 
> tysm for reading!!~ Have a safe and fun Labor Day weekend!!~


	12. Omake: September 21st

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a small little Omake in celebration for Andromeda's birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So while I was trying to figure our Andy's like age range, I did some math, because dude we have to be somewhat accurate with months and ages and things right? Right!  
> Lol so presently the fic is staged in late April, because "Hey, I don't want to deal with Holiday Drama[TM] just yet" emphasis on _yet_ lol but yeah, Andy is 7 months old, and for her to be 7mos in April, she had to be born in September. I googled September dates and guess what? Sep. 21st is the International Day of Peace, and let us not forget that Andy is essentially the bridge for Keith and Shiro, she will bring peace to them damnit. ~~all in due time though, cuz "Hi I am living for the slow burn" orz~~  
>  Anywho ^^ I'm sorry it's pretty short, I'm still working on that one event thing I mentioned before, and I did this in like... literally three hours ago I just made it with 10mins to spare lol.
> 
> Happy Birthday Andy!!!~
> 
> And onto the story, Enjoy!~

Keith cared very little about dates.

There were only three exceptions to that rule, however. The first was the date that he lost his father. That day was reserved for Keith to remember the man that gave him a happy home for the first few years of his life. Admittedly, Keith had loathed the date at first, when the wound of his death was still open and bleeding freely. But after time, when he came to terms with the fact and finally worked to lessen the pain of his loss, Keith cherished the date.

The second was the day that he was adopted into Thace and his husbands' family. It was the day that Keith was finally allowed to leave the horrors of the foster system and back into a loving family.

And the third had only come into his life recently.

September 21st.

Keith marked the important date on his calendar, the paper one he kept on his desk and the one that he stored on his phone. Keith knew that it would be near impossible for him to forget the date. He would battle against amnesia and any other forces to be for that date.

The day that his baby girl was brought into the world was a new date he would forever cherish.

He knew that she was not brought into the world by any  _normal_  means, but in the great scheme of things that really didn't matter much. The one thing that Keith cared about was that she was there, she had been born and she had come into his life. She was alive and she was healthy and Keith was going to do everything in his power to make sure that she was as happy as she should be as she grew up with him.

Keith set down the file he had re-read for the... actually he had lost count how many times he had gone over every detail of the files he had been given at Quintessence Labs a few days ago. He had read the document enough times to be able to recite the words by heart most of the time.

Keith had devoured that file as soon as he had gotten some between taking care of his baby and juggling meetings with his uncles and the twins.

There hadn't been enough information in those files about his daughter, Keith felt. There weren't any photographic records, not from her "birth" to when she first opened her eyes… had she smiled back then? When the people who brought her to life looked over her? Did they talk to her as much as he did?

Keith's questions, it seemed, would never be answered. And maybe that was for the best. Keith wasn't sure he could refrain from tearing out someone's throat if he found out that the people who had been looking over Andy had treated her as nothing more than an experiment.

_Happy memories_ , Keith reminded himself as he looked over the printed photos that Thace had dropped off earlier that day after his shift was over at the shop. They were from the first day Andy had been introduced to Keith's two uncles. There were also some of Keith and Antok after his visit the next day, and some of just Keith and Andy and a few more of just Andy.

Thace had also slipped a wrapped item to Keith with a wink, "From the three of us." he had said and taken his leave not long after.

Keith had discovered that the present was a scrapbook with a small note attached.  _We know that you missed a few of her firsts, but there will definitely be more for you to share with her. So we all pitched in to help you get started on saving those precious memories, for when you feel inspired._

Keith smiled, he owed so much to his uncles already, and every time he thought he couldn't be more grateful to them, they surprised him. Keith pushed away from his desk after slipping the pictured back under the scrapbook and ambled over to the bed where he had laid Andy in her makeshift nest of pillows and blankets.

"I'll see to it myself that you only have happy memories to remember." he promised, stoking her soft hair away from her cherub cheeks.

"We have to get started on planning your first birthday party, we can invite the whole family, Lance's too and Allura's. And I'll only dress you up like a princess if you say it's okay, only if you want. I think I'm going to say no to the pony this time around, though." Keith chuckled.

Keith couldn't even remember when he had last planned a party, much less one with such a meaningful celebration. He had attended family celebrations such as when his uncles, Acxa, or himself had a birthday or something special to celebrate. But as far as  _planning_  for one and actually being excited about it… it had been so many years, maybe since one of his own when his dad indulged him.

"He would have loved to know you too." Keith whispered, thinking of his oldest memory of his father and his warm smile as he lifted Keith up onto his broad shoulders.

Thinking of his father soon made a small frown appear on Keith's lips, however, as those thoughts often lead towards his mother. Which now bled onto Takashi Shirogane.

Keith didn't intentionally draw similarities to his absent mother and Andy's other father, but the thoughts occurred to him without his meaning to. And though he was having a personally tough time with giving the guy a chance, he knew it would be unfair to Andy to be deprived of a childhood with the other parent she had.

"We can even invite your other dad and your uncle Ryou" Keith mused, "If they want to come. They can invite some friends, and we can ask uncles Thace, Antok, and Kolivan if we use their house unless we want to cram one hundred people into Lance's room and risk falling through the floor into whoever lives under us." Keith huffed a soft laugh.

"It'll be an exclusive event, only the best people in the world will attend and we will all be there to celebrate the day you were born, because we are all so happy to have you in our lives Andy." Keith couldn't help the smile that followed his words, just when had he become such a sap?

"What do you think of strawberry cake?" Keith asked veering into a less emotional subject of conversation. "Or the kind that Lance's mom makes? I don't know if it  _actually_  has three types of milk in there, but I think it's a safe bet, no? Since you'll be getting used to solids by then. I promise it's really good." Keith smiled and turned on the small night light he was sure to get crap on when Lance finally came back.

Keith was not afraid of the dark, but after stumbling into awakeness the past few days and nearly tripping to death on numerous occasions, he decided it was a necessary precaution.

"We'll talk about it more in the morning, okay?" Keith said through a yawn and kissed the top of Andy's head. "I hope you're having the sweetest of dreams, Andy. I'll see you in a couple of hours. Love you"

**Author's Note:**

> Please feel free to come yell at me over this I am Leafyxthiefy or alternatively _shieth-my-heart_ on tumblr ^^, thank you for reading.


End file.
